CommonHealth ACTION

12/03/2025

Resilience Over Fragility: Rethinking Trust, Feedback & Leadership

As leaders, one of the biggest mindset shifts we can make is replacing fragility—the instinct to avoid uncomfortable conversations—with resilience: the ability to receive feedback, regulate our reactions, and expand our understanding of what leadership truly requires.

In and last conversation on trust, they explore how trust operates on multiple levels, why it’s unrealistic to expect (or give) absolute trust at work, and how low-stakes, everyday interactions—not crisis moments—are where trust is built and maintained.

A few key insights emerged:
✨ Trust is not all or nothing.
You don’t need to trust teammates with your life—but you do need to trust their ethics, consistency, competence, and integrity.

✨ Every interaction is an opportunity to reset.
Yesterday’s misstep doesn’t define today’s relationship.

✨ Transactional teams struggle when pressure hits.
If trust hasn’t been built relationally, it won’t suddenly appear in a moment of crisis.

✨ Compassion > Empathy alone
Compassionate leadership means seeing pain, acknowledging stressors, and actively working to alleviate them—not just feeling them.

Now, we’d love to hear from you—and Isaiah and Natalie will be in the comments responding to your perspectives:

💬 Questions for you:
1. Where do you see leaders struggle the most—with receiving feedback, or with making expectations explicit? Why?

2. What helps you stay resilient when trust feels shaken at work?

3. Have you worked in a place where every interaction felt “high stakes”? What did it do to the culture?

4. What’s one low-stakes habit a leader could use to build trust daily?

Drop your thoughts below—Isaiah and Natalie will be jumping into the conversation.

Let’s build a thread worth learning from.




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This is "Clip 9 Leading with Resilience, Realism and Compassion" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love…

11/19/2025

The Limits of Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership gets things done…but it rarely creates commitment, psychological safety, or real trust.

In this conversation, explores why relying only on rewards, rules, and consequences eventually breaks down—and why teams need something deeper to feel engaged and connected.

Polling Questions:

What’s the BIGGEST limitation of transactional leadership in your experience?
🔸 It focuses too much on compliance
🔸 It shuts down creativity and initiative
🔸 It weakens trust and relationships
🔸 It only works short-term

Where have you seen transactional leadership hit its limits in real life?
🔸 A conflict?
🔸 A moment requiring creativity?
🔸 A trust breakdown?
🔸 A team under pressure?

If you like, drop an example or insight or your experience that could help someone else rethink their approach.



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This is "Clip 8-The Limits of Transactional Leadership" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

11/12/2025

High-Stakes vs. Low-Stakes: Practicing Trust Daily

In organizations where trust is lacking, every interaction can feel high-stakes.
Every conversation becomes a test:
👉 “Can I trust this person?”
👉 “Will this decision come back to hurt me?”

That constant evaluation drains energy—and creativity.

reminds us that in high-trust cultures, people don’t wait for a crisis to test trust. They practice it daily in low-stakes moments—one-on-one meetings, candid check-ins, and honest conversations about expectations before the pressure hits.

💡 High-trust teams build confidence through repetition. They create space for honesty, mistakes, and learning—so that when the high-stakes moments arrive, trust is already established.

💬 Reflect and share:
• How does your team practice trust when the stakes are low?
• What small daily habits help build confidence and psychological safety?
• How can leaders intentionally create “low-stakes” moments for open dialogue?

Trust isn’t built in crises—it’s built in the quiet, everyday interactions that shape how teams respond when it matters most.



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This is "Clip 7 High-Stakes vs. Low-Stakes_ Practicing Trust Daily" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who…

11/05/2025

Defining the Minimum Threshold of Trust

Trust isn’t all or nothing.

It’s not about “Do I trust you completely?”—it’s about what level of trust is necessary for us to work well together.

As Natalie S. Burke reminds us, it’s unrealistic to expect that we’ll trust every colleague with our deepest vulnerabilities.

But we can still trust them to:
✅ Deliver quality work
✅ Make sound decisions
✅ Support teammates
✅ Uphold shared standards of excellence

In every workplace relationship—leader to team member, peer to peer—there’s a minimum threshold of trust needed for collaboration, creativity, and authenticity to thrive.

💬 Reflect and share:
- What’s your minimum threshold of trust for working effectively with others?
- How do you decide what kind of trust is “enough” to feel safe and perform at your best?
- Can a team function well without full trust—as long as there’s enough to move forward?
- How do you communicate those boundaries of trust with your team?

Trust doesn’t have to be absolute—it just needs to be intentional.



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This is "Clip 6-Defining the Minimum Threshold of Trust" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/29/2025

Making Trust Explicit and Addressing Leader Defensiveness

One of the hardest truths for leaders to hear is: “Your team doesn’t trust you.”

As points out, mistrust often stems from unspoken rules, unclear expectations, or a lack of repeated reinforcement—not necessarily bad intentions. Yet for many leaders, hearing this feedback feels deeply personal. It clashes with their self-identity as a “good leader,” which can trigger defensiveness.

highlights another challenge: How do we help leaders receive that kind of feedback with openness instead of resistance?

So here is the question for you:

When it comes to building trust, which leadership skill do you think matters most?

Poll Options:
- Making expectations explicit (and repeating them).

- Practicing self-regulation when receiving hard feedback.

- Creating psychological safety for questions and clarity.

- Demonstrating consistency between words and actions.

After voting, share your perspective in the comments:

Have you ever had to tell a leader their team didn’t trust them? How did it go?

If you’re a leader, how do you handle feedback that challenges your identity?

This is "Making Trust Explicit and Addressing Leader Defensiveness" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who…

10/22/2025

Balancing Transparency and Decision-Making: Building Trust Across Generations

Trust is a marathon, not a sprint. And in today’s multigenerational workplaces, leaders face a delicate balancing act: honoring the emotions behind feedback while making the decisions they are ultimately responsible for.

Here’s a scenario many leaders will recognize:

You ask your team for input on a decision. You value their perspectives and even encourage them to think critically. But in the end, you make a decision that doesn’t align with some of that feedback. Later, some may feel unheard, and trust can erode.

reflects on what she has learned and how you communicate matters as much as the decision itself:
• Acknowledge the input you received.
• Explain why your decision may differ.
• Make it clear that differing opinions are valued, even if the outcome doesn’t fully align.

This upfront transparency helps manage expectations, honor emotions, and maintain trust—especially across generations that may have different experiences and needs when it comes to feedback and decision-making.

💬 Questions for reflection and conversation:
• How do you ensure team members feel heard even when their advice isn’t followed?
• Have you noticed generational differences in how feedback is perceived and valued?
• What strategies have you used to maintain trust while making tough decisions?

Trust isn’t built in a single moment—it’s nurtured every time leaders communicate clearly, act intentionally, and show respect for the perspectives around them.

This is "Clip 4-Balancing Transparency and Decision-Making_ Building Trust Across Generations" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality…

10/21/2025

Thank you to all the alumni who have already registered — we can’t wait to see you soon! 💙

If you haven’t registered yet, this is your last chance to join 🌊 The Collective Current, happening October 30–November 1 in Arlington, VA.

Registration closes at the end of today, so don’t miss your opportunity to connect, reflect, and lead alongside fellow alumni advancing health and racial equity.

👉 To register, you’ll need to be a member of the Interwoven community. Join Interwoven by clicking this link https://bit.ly/3Keq4Hr.

👉 If you are already an Interwoven member, register by clicking this link https://bit.ly/4gH1o6L.

10/15/2025

The Science of Trust and the Role of Leadership

Trust isn’t just a “soft skill”—it has a tangible impact on how we function, especially under pressure.

This video explains that when we do trust others, our bodies release oxytocin, a bonding hormone that helps us feel safe, connected, and capable of managing stress. Conversely, lack of trust triggers a stress response, leaving people feeling powerless and less able to take ownership of their work.

Leaders play a crucial role: consistency, truth-telling, and modeling grace empower teams to give feedback, manage pressure, and grow in accountability. But defensiveness or lack of self-regulation can quickly undermine that trust.

💬 Let’s hear from you:
- How does trust—or the lack of it—show up in your workplace?

- What are practical ways leaders can model trust under pressure?

- How do you cultivate self-regulation and frustration tolerance to maintain trust?

Ask ,PhD directly in the comments below:

- What’s the most effective way to rebuild trust once it’s been broken?

- How can leaders balance authority with creating a psychologically safe environment?

- What's one small habit that can make a big difference in trust within a team?
Your experiences and questions can help shape a broader conversation about building high-trust, high-performing teams.



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This is "The Science of Trust and the Role of Leadership" by CommonHealth ACTION on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/09/2025

Good news—You have more time to register for The Collective Current🌊.

To make sure no one misses out, registration has been extended until Friday, October 10.

From October 30 – November 1, alumni will gather in person to:

✨ Expand networks and deepen connections
✨ Hear from funders & national experts on the equity landscape
✨ Share leadership through alumni-led sessions
✨ Co-create strategies that transform challenges into opportunities

🌊 Don’t let this extended chance pass by—the current is moving, and your leadership belongs in it.

👉 To register, you’ll need to be a member of the Interwoven community. Join Interwoven by clicking this link https://bit.ly/3Keq4Hr.

👉 If you are already an Interwoven member, click this link to https://bit.ly/4gH1o6L register.

10/08/2025

Registration ends tonight!

It’s now or never! Registration for The Collective Current closes tonight—do not miss The Collective Current!

Join alumni October 30 – November 1 to expand your network, learn from funders and experts, and shape equity-focused strategies for the future.

🌊 Secure your place in the current before it’s too late.

👉 To register, you’ll need to be a member of the Interwoven community. Join Interwoven by clicking this link https://bit.ly/3Keq4Hr.

👉 If you are already an Interwoven member, click the link https://bit.ly/4gH1o6L to register.

10/06/2025

Flow forward with The Collective Current

At The Collective Current, alumni will gather to reflect on shifting landscapes, expand your alumni network, hear from funders and experts and chart a course forward for equity.

🌊 Don’t miss the flow—registration closes October 8—secure your place in the current today.

👉 To register, you’ll need to be a member of the Interwoven community. Join Interwoven by clicking on this link, https://bit.ly/3Keq4Hr.

👉 If you are already an Interwoven member, click this link https://bit.ly/4gH1o6L to register.

10/01/2025

Defining Trust in Teams

What does trust really mean in the workplace?

In a recent conversation, described trust as “believing that someone is on your side and able to help you get closer to what you’re trying to achieve.” Without trust, much of our energy shifts from doing the work to protecting ourselves from potential harm—like retaliation, exclusion, or missed opportunities.

reminded us that rebuilding trust isn’t instant. It requires:
✅ Acknowledging when trust has been broken
✅ A clear commitment to reestablish it
✅ Consistency in showing up, aligning with shared values, and having the tough conversations

Together, their insights spark powerful reflection on how trust is defined, built, lost, and rebuilt.

💬 As you reflect, here are a few questions you can pose directly to Natalie and Isaiah:
1. How can leaders balance the need for accountability with creating an environment of trust?

2. What practical first steps can an organization take when trust has already been broken?

3. How do cultural differences shape the way trust is built and experienced in teams?

4. What role does curiosity and asking, “What would it take for you to trust me again?” play in leadership?

👉 What questions would you ask Natalie Burke or Dr. Isaiah Pickens about trust in teams?

In this exchange, Natalie S. Burke and Dr. Isaiah Pickens unpack how even small breaches of trust can derail entire teams—leading to hoarding of resources, b...