Motivate, Manage, and Retain Great Staff Julie Bartkus Salli is an employee who rushes into work every morning with only minutes to spare. She's rarely ready to go at the time she's supposed to start. Even though you've spoken to her about this several times, her behavior doesn't change. What will motivate Salli to change? . . . keep reading
Reduce Stress and Tension Julie Bartkus Stress, frustration, anxiety… Do these words sound familiar? Well chances are if you're a child care professional these words are too familiar. A Director recently told me that when she walks through the doors to get in to work in the morning she doesn't even have the opportunity to take her bag off of her shoulder when her staff approaches her with 50 problems, the phone is ringing and a kid just got sick all over her shoes. That's stress… . . . keep reading
Dealing With Difficult People Julie Bartkus A parent consistently picks her child up late and then gets upset when she is charged late fees. You were taken by surprise when she yelled at you in front of her child, other parents, and staff. Wh . . . keep reading
Even Potatoes Explode When They Can't Vent Julie Bartkus As I was eating dinner one night, I heard a loud noise -- it was similar to a small explosion. I looked quickly around the house to see what happened. I saw nothing out of the ordinary so I finished . . . keep reading
Who Motivates The Motivator? Julie Bartkus All day long you motivate the children in your care to learn their lessons, eat their lunch, take a nap, clean up and play nicely with other children. Your energy, your time, and your love is poured . . . keep reading
Listening Skills Julie Bartkus Effective listening skills -- an important leadership quality! Relax, sit back, and listen is what someone once said to me. I thought this sounded like a good idea. However, as I relaxed I notic . . . keep reading
Negative Feedback Julie Bartkus During a recent workshop, a participant asked me: What if the feedback I get from my team is negative? Is getting negative feedback from your team something you fear? Does the thought of di . . . keep reading
Workplace Gossip - Just Make It Stop Julie Bartkus "Just make it stop" is what a leader told her staff during a staff meeting. Staff looked at each other and then looked around the room as if utter confusion had taken over. Some staff whispered . . . keep reading
Renewing Team Motivation Julie Bartkus Well, it's that time of year. The Holidays are over and it's time to get back in the swing of things. Some of you may find that it's tough to get your team going, excited, and feeling enthusiastic t . . . keep reading
Start Off With A Positive Expectancy Julie Bartkus Fast forward for a moment to the end of this year. Reflecting back - what would you like to say you accomplished? If you sat down and made a list right now, what would your list include? Go ahead; . . . keep reading
End With A Smile Julie Bartkus "One of the things that keeps me motivated to stay in the teaching profession is all the humorous moments I encounter through the day. When my workday comes to an end, I reflect on all the funny stuf . . . keep reading
Enabling Destructive Behavior Julie Bartkus Enabling Destructive Behavior (A case scenario for you, the leader) Sally is your team's self-designated spokesperson. She is the member of your staff who has no qualms about bringing minor issue . . . keep reading
Bringing Out The Worst Julie Bartkus There are certain communication situations that just bring out the worst in team members. Have you ever noticed this? The situations I'm thinking about cause team members to feel insecure, get defen . . . keep reading
Boosting Confidence Julie Bartkus My 5-year-old nephew sat on my lap as he played his computer game. I watched and cheered him on as his points added up. He took delight in how many points he was scoring and loved that I was sharing . . . keep reading
Attract The Very Best Julie Bartkus Child care teacher needed! We offer competitive benefits and wages. Every week I see this same help wanted ad in the newspaper. The ad then lists the program's contact information. I see this . . . keep reading
Transitioning From Your Work To Home Life Julie Bartkus Yes, it is a challenge to mentally transition from work to home. Listed below are several strategies that will help you to leave your work at work so you can have more mental and physical energy to i . . . keep reading
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