This week I was approached by one of my dear friends who serves as a principal for a local Early Childhood Center (PS-2^nd Grade). His requested deliverable: monthly staff appreciation ideas for 40 teachers and staff with some money to spend, but not a ton. Challenge accepted.

As I formulated the plan for him, I thought about our customers in the K12 sector and how many of them must be facing the same 2015-2016 school year appreciation ideas blank stare. Well, good news! I’ve outlined a pretty fantastic teacher and staff appreciation plan for you – balanced with both cost and no-cost ideas!

Years (and years) ago, I was working as a document editor at a mortgage company. I progressed quickly and found myself just three years later leading a department of 21 people. It was around this time that I had the privilege of attending a week-long 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® workshop. This course was one of those monumental growth experiences that I mark as a milestone in my career. I learned to focus on putting first things first and the importance of sharpening the saw. But, my biggest takeaway was this quote by Stephen Covey:

“If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.”

Weddings, wedding, weddings! There must be love potion in the water at the ‘Ville, as it seems everyone is tying the knot lately. Last month, Alan was getting ready for his wedding, and just recently Lisa recited her vows. In the last couple of months, members of our sales suite and IDville did, too.

Lisa, who is our Client Services Manager for hi5, happens to sit right near me, so I got to hear all the updates about her nuptials—and how the Imagine the Possibilities™ card she got for her Baudville anniversary was a part of it all! Here’s her story:

Day-to-day recognition is defined as the genuine everyday expressions of appreciation given to reinforce and reward positive behaviors. Although each dimension of recognition (day-to-day, informal, and formal) is important, day-to-day recognition occurs most often and has the greatest ability to impact employee performance. In this series, we’ll explain how day-to-day recognition can help you create a great place to work, establishing higher levels of employee motivation, engagement, and retention.