About Julie Bartkus

Julie Bartkus is an internationally known speaker and coach who is dedicated to helping leaders create the positive and productive workplaces that they desire and deserve. She is best known for helping leaders transform their workplaces through eliminating the destructive communication patterns (such as workplace gossip) and mindsets that keep their teams stuck.

Her articles have been circulated throughout the world through publications such as The School Administrator, Child Care Business, Television and Entertainment Guide, Illinois News (A publication of AEYC). Look for future articles in Child Care Information Exchange and Professional Connections (A NACP publication).

Julie offers customized keynote presentations, full-day retreats (on-site and through associations), group coaching and one-on-one personal coaching.

Interview Questions

How long have you been doing what you do and how did you get to be a staff motivation expert?

I have been helping leaders create the positive and productive workplaces that they desire and deserve for over a decade now. I left the corporate world in 1996 after working there for 8 years. In that time period of 8 years I had over 8 supervisors due to the constant change that was happening around us. It seemed that we were always in a state of change because of the constant efforts to be more productive and save money. I witnessed some horrible ways that people were fired and experienced first hand how one dramatic change can impact an entire team. With each change, each dramatic event, I discovered that supervisors don't always and can't always see how the change and the way it's dealt with from the top down, impacts their team and causes a chain reaction of events to unfold.

I saw first hand how their efforts to save money and increase productivity were lost in how people responded to the impacts of the changes that were happening. Instead of a more positive and productive workplace, staff members often engaged in destructive communication patterns. These patterns made us feel negative and stuck.

The moment that changed everything for me was the day Anita was fired. It was the day I decided that leaders need to know that there's a better way to boost productivity and profits. For months we were told that one of us or all of us would be fired on a certain day and on that fateful day meetings would be set up with each of us. During that meeting we would find out if we were going to keep our job or be escorted out immediately. The day came and one-by-one we were instructed to meet with our Department Director. One-by-one we each made it through the process after being on edge for months until just about the last interview when Anita went into the office. She was fired immediately and escorted around her workspace quickly so she could collect her personal belongings including a picture of her sons and company memorabilia that she collected for over 20 years. I didn't even get to say goodbye.

Through surviving all of these changes and still working my way up through the ranks, I gained an important insight that I bring to the teams I work with today. This insight helps propel teams into a solution-focused mindset. I discovered that it's not education or IQ that makes you successful, fulfilled and happy in your job, it is however, the relationships that you build (or transform!), the mindset that you have, and how adaptable you are to the change around you. When you have staff members who lack this awareness, you have staff members who are unmotivated and find unity in destructive places as opposed to constructive ones.

When I left my position I made it my mission to help leaders understand things from their team's perspective so they can create a positive and productive workplace in spite of the small, medium and large changes (positive and negative) that organizations encounter on a daily basis. Since then I have immersed myself in working with a variety of teams ranging from those who simply need a positive boost to teams who have a total breakdown of trust and really need a transformation. I know what it takes to unite team members, break down barriers (such as gossip) and ignite passion in the workplace.

Additionally for the past 8 years I have had the honor of interviewing leading experts about issues pertaining to managing, motivating and retaining great staff for a monthly audio program that is distributed to our inner circle.

The leaders I work with benefit from my inside perspective as well as the thousands of individual interviews I've personally conducted with leaders and their teams. I've compiled my research and personal experiences into my Staff Motivation and Retention System™.

Who are your clients exactly?

I work with people just like you who manage staff and are passionate about the industry that they're in. They are typically really good at what they do, however they have never been taught exactly how to motivate their staff or how to have systems in place so their staff is ALWAYS cohesive and high-functioning. Over the past 10 years I have coached and developed customized programs mainly for leaders in the child care industry. My previous work experiences (before I started my own consulting and speaking company) allow me to understand a wide range of work environments. I worked as a recruiter for a Fortune 500 company, a job placement specialist, a financial manager, a clothing store manager and a series of teaching positions in the early care and education industry.

What happens if you haven't yet worked with people in my field?

Part of my process is to really understand your challenges so I can present you with solutions that work for YOU regardless of the industry you're in. I share a complete staff motivation process that builds upon itself to deliver dynamic results. It's a process that works for leaders who want to be part of the solution. The main ingredient to us working together successfully is for me to know that you want to be part of a fresh, dynamic and complete process to create the positive and productive workplace that you desire and deserve.

What services do you offer?

I offer speaking and coaching services to leaders and their teams who would like to increase workplace productivity, break down barriers and ignite passion. My 2 most popular workshops work hand-in-hand or independently of one another. One is for leaders and their staff. It's simply called The Team Retreat. The objective of this program is to help people who work together function as a dynamic, cohesive team. It also helps team members develop the motivation to want to make constructive change happen.

The other program is my Leadership Retreat. During this program I present my step-by-step system to help leaders motivate and retain great staff. The results that leaders have achieved from these 2 programs have been transformational. The teams I work with rave about the long-lasting positive results they get. Check out our testimonials and read the raves from my clients!

My coaching services are designed to help leaders really accelerate their ability to create the positive and productive workplace that they desire and deserve. We work together through my Staff Motivation and Retention System™. I'll tell you more about my system a little later on in this interview.

***The following questions and answers pertain to my coaching services.***

How are you different from other "business coaches?"

Although we will occasionally touch upon time management and other "business coach-y" things, you have me as a Staff Motivation expert and coach. I ONLY work with hands-on managers of small to mid-sized teams who are passionate about the industry they're in. My clients typically study and select their professions for a specific reason.

The main thing for me to mention is that over the past decade I have interviewed thousands of leaders and their staff members to find out what is not working in their organizations. What I bring to my clients is an inside perspective that is invaluable. I help them not only understand what needs to be changed but how to present it to their teams so staff members are responsive and enthusiastic about getting on board with the process. This leads to long-lasting positive results. The part of staff motivation that I am truly passionate about is team cohesion.

What that means to you is that I am very focused on what specifically works for you when it comes to creating the positive and productive workplace that you desire and deserve. Because my focus is very narrow, what you get with me is no-nonsense, undiluted expertise on what works when it comes to uniting teams, breaking down barriers and igniting passion. This is why my clients, groups and customers get great results (and I throw in a healthy dose of compassion, humor and encouragement, which ALWAYS helps!). My approach is to find solutions that work for you so you can start seeing results with your staff immediately.

What type of personality do you work best with and what is expected of me?

My products and programs were created for people who are absolutely excited and deadly serious about creating a positive and productive workplace. This involves putting processes in place so long-term results can be achieved and doing away with band-aide solutions or quick fix-it motivational strategies that only avail temporary results.

Consider what you'll do with me to be an action-learning course. You will be expected to take serious and consistent action. No excuses, just a very different way of thinking and full support while you achieve your incredibly exciting goal of motivating and retaining great staff.

For what type of professional is this program NOT going to work?

Please know I'm very selective in who I work with and I cherry-pick my clients, choosing to (gently) turn away people who aren't suited for my programs and won't get the results for which they would have signed up for. (It wouldn't be fair to them.)

The Staff Motivation programs are NOT for those who want me to come in and "fix" their teams or who have no time to put a solid plan of action into place.

Another type of person I won't work with (without exception) is the whiner or the chronic skeptic, as well as individuals who consistently make excuses for not getting their assignments done or challenging every aspect of the program. If you are one of these people, I gently and respectfully ask that you not call and I hope you understand why. We'll probably just not work well together and I wouldn't want you to waste your time or money. Is that fair?

What exactly is The Staff Motivation and Retention System™ and what does it include?

The Staff Motivation and Retention System™ is a step-by-step process that delivers spectacular results when it comes to managing, motivating and retaining great staff. It's important that the steps in the system be followed in order as they build upon themselves to achieve long-lasting positive results. Here's a brief description of my 10-step approach.

1. Make Staff Motivation a Priority

We examine when in the day (and how) you are making time for staff motivation. We make room in your schedule, prioritize your daily task lists, schedule in follow up time, put a pause on non-essential "leaks" in your day, so you can fully invest yourself in growing your business. Essentially, we clear the decks for what's most important.

2. Walk Your Talk

As a leader I'm sure you've heard it many times that you must model the behaviors that you expect your team to display. We will explore what you may need to model more of or differently to obtain the results that you desire and deserve. My clients and workshop attendees have called this process in itself eye opening.

3. Be True to Your Vision

Many leaders lose sight of their own personal vision for their life and their life's work. It may get buried in trying to make everyone happy or just not having time to focus on it. You'll discover how to keep your vision alive with the work you do everyday and how it directly impacts staff motivation and team cohesiveness.

4. Starting Smart

It's important to have effective hiring systems in place so you can hire right from the start. But what do you do if you're not the hiring manager, or the person who you hired is totally different than that wonderful, amazing person who you interviewed? We evaluate this area and put a plan of action into place to make sure all of your staff have the opportunity to become a valued part of a united, cohesive team.

5. Develop a Strong Positive Belief in Your Team

I have discovered that the thoughts you hang on to and the feelings that live inside of you determine the action that you do or don't take. You'll discover processes to uplift your thought process and methods for sustaining positive energy throughout the day.

6. Create an Environment where Direct and Open Communication is a Priority

This is a huge, critically important step. We take a look at how direct and open communication can be improved so there is a continuous flow of motivation and desire from team members to be a part of the solution to daily challenges.

7. Break Down Communication Barriers

What are the communication barriers that keep your team stuck? Through my personal experience and research (interviewing thousands) I've discovered over 27 barriers including WORKPLACE GOSSIP. You'll gain transformational insight as to what barriers are present in your workplace and how to break them down quickly and effectively.

8. Challenge Your Team

Discover ways to bring more passion into your workplace by incorporating team member's vision into the work they do everyday. As we work though this step you'll have the opportunity to help your team feel fulfilled and motivated while achieving your organization's vision.

9. Staff Appreciation

Staff appreciation is really important in having a motivated, cohesive, high-functioning staff. You'll discover the pitfalls of staff appreciation that many leaders fall into that cause their staff appreciation efforts to have little or no results. Transformational strategies will be developed for appreciating your staff effectively and obtaining long-lasting results with your staff appreciation efforts.

10. Make It Fun

Yes, fun and work can go hand-in-hand. But how as a leader can you create a fun workplace, sustain motivation levels, ensure safety, and increase productivity all at the same time? Plans will be developed so that work is a fun place that team members and customers look forward to coming to. I'll share secret strategies for making this happen almost effortlessly on your part. Think of the positive word of mouth that will be generated!

Can I contact some of your former clients to see what it's like to work with you?

Yes, I encourage you to! Please go to the Client Testimonials page and read all of them. See which ones you feel drawn to, either because the person has gotten the results you want to get, or perhaps because that person is in a similar profession. Then feel free to email me with who you would like to speak to and I'll gladly provide their contact information.

How quickly can I expect results?

Obviously, this depends on what challenges you're facing with your staff and how much you put into the assignments that we give you. That said, virtually all clients see results within the first couple of months in the form of more motivated staff, staff who look forward to coming to work, staff members who communicate constructively, increased productivity, increased staff and client retention rates and more positive word of mouth advertising from clients and staff.

How can I guarantee myself that I will achieve high levels of staff motivation?

Do all of your assignments and fieldwork. Be really focused on Staff Motivation. Understand that it's not a "quick fix," it's not magic and it takes up to a year for you to plant all the seeds and for those seeds to grow into the fruit that you can enjoy. All my clients who have diligently applied every step of The Staff Motivation and Retention System™ have successfully increased productivity, in much less time than they would have on their own AND have retained a high-quality staff.

Will I recover the investment I put into this coaching program?

Absolutely! Many clients are excited to report that they were able to motivate their teams and cover their investment often with only one motivated staff member. I want you to stop reading for just one moment to ask yourself, "What is a unified team worth to me, and what is the average savings I gain when I retain great staff?" Many experts state that it costs 30% of an employee's annual salary to replace one employee. The information and skills you learn with The Staff Motivation and Retention System™ will net you 100 times what you invest in the next 1 to 5 years…something to think over.

What you're regularly getting with this program (and my coaching) is what I call a series of AHAs or light bulbs being turned on that will greatly excel your efforts to boost productivity and retain motivated staff. Expect to get a lot of these as well as the resources you've been looking for and haven't found until now. That's what you're investing in, results, more productivity, more team unity, more people looking forward to coming to work, not just more "information."

If I'm not sure I'm ready to get started, how can I sample your work at low cost to see if it's the right solutions for me?

A way to sample The Staff Motivation and Retention System™ is by subscribing to my weekly email newsletter. "Staff Motivation in Minutes" email newsletter provides you with proven tips, the latest tools and powerful techniques from our Staff Motivation Coaching Programs. It is a must for anyone who wants to create the positive and productive workplace that they desire and deserve.

OK, I'm ready to do this for myself, but I have a couple of additional questions. Can I call you?

Good, sounds like you're ready to create the positive and productive workplace that you desire and deserve. Yes, if you have a couple of questions, just email me at Julie@LCforCC.com or call us directly at 800.211.5671 and we'll be happy to walk you through the different options to see which one will be the very best for you. I can't wait to see you succeed and am honored and delighted to be the one to help you. Let's get going!