my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist

Providing encourageMINT to those around you!

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When I am needing a treat for my staff or for those I want to celebrate around me, I have two qualifiers…are they easy? and are they cheap? One of the easiest (and cheapest!) little pick me ups that Melinda and I are including in our upcoming book is that of sharing encourageMINT.

Who doesn’t love a good box of tic tacs? Who doesn’t need a lil’pick me up every now and then? This idea combines the two to make it easy to share! I’ve seen these given as “elf vitamins” near Christmas or as “Mint to be” treats near Valentine’s day…but I like a good positivity quote for mine!

First, you’ll need sticker paper. I’ve used this one, and it’s cheap and gets the job done. You can always print out regular paper and add double sided tape, but again, I like EASY. Sticker paper lets you just cut, peel, and apply. Within the printer settings make sure to check print “actual size” and then if you can choose “high quality” on “matte photo paper” for the best look. Then trim out each label. There are 8 per sheet.

Here is a blank template that you can edit as you want to for your team.

Want one already completed? Thanks @jjmottsy for sharing!

Finally, you need tic tacs! You can get boxes at your favorite big box store or you can order here!

 

These work out to be less than a dollar each, and again are easy peasy! If you’re looking for a March themed idea, here’s an idea you can borrow from Vanessa Brady. I don’t do bathroom humor, but maybe you do!

 

Keep sharing the encourageMINT, friends!

fresh breathed &

Three ways to celebrate your staff in December at three different price points, plus a free download!

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I love the holiday season. I love shopping for the perfect gift, at the perfect price, for the perfect “OH!” when they open it. I love celebrating my big Wolves and my small Wolves.

I’ve done big things for my staff and some smaller type of things. Things that are all drawn out, and things that take just a few minutes, or few dollars. Things that mean a lot or simple things that are tokens of appreciation. #ALLTHETHINGS, y’all.

 

 

 

As a principal, who is on a budget, both at school AND at home…I have to be conscious of how/why/what I choose to purchase.

If you’re wondering what to do or how to even get started, oh administrator friend of mine, first join this Facebook Group where, literally, all we are talking about is the holidays and celebrating your staff for the holidays.

 

Then, scroll on down for gifts that anyone can handle, regardless of your budget… some of our favorite things…at three different price points!

 

FREE (or on da’cheap!)

12 Days Of Christmas

Here are several of my variations on the 12 days leading up to Christmas break. You can pack these full of free things like wear jeans, or workout gear, or school colors…and throw in coffee bars, popcorn bars, or other snackie snacks. Easy, peasey.

12 days, 1

12 days, 2

12 days, 3

12 days, 4

(Side note: I’ve also done 12 days of GIVING, where we shared acts of kindness!)

 

Really cheap! (and a free printable!)

Who doesn’t need a good package of chapstick? Just a cute tube with an attached note and you have a PRACTICAL, albeit cheap, gift for all, male or female!  Amazon sells 72 lil’tubes for $29.99. That’s a bargain!

Then attach this cute tag and viola! You can add your signature using any kind of graphics editor, like Canva, picMonkey, or an app like Over, Typorama, or my favorite, Word Swag. (yes that costs $4.99 and yes, it’s worth it!)

 

(download your copy here!)

 

Still cheaper than say, a new car for everyone!

  • Stock the fridge with all their faves! (Starbucks Mocha Lattes were a HUGE hit! Any fun snacks, drinks, pudding cups, etc We filled ours up for less $150!)
  • Flair pens for all! (Buy packs and break them apart and give each teacher 2/3 pens…and wish them a Flair-y Merry Christmas!)
  • Beanie hats for all! You can add vinyl to these with a cricut/silhouette, or purchase in your school colors. We found some and had our logo added at a local embroidery shop for our staff last year and they LOVED them!

 

If your team is anything like mine, they will love any effort you give them. We meet as a PLC grade level team each Wednesday and the Wednesday before we get out for the Christmas break and we just sit and eat holiday snacks and chat. We play Christmas music by the fire. It doesn’t take much, just some free time and no stress…you also can’t go wrong with the gift of TIME.

 

 

How do you show your seasonal spirit? Share in the comments!

 

festively and

The importance of planning as a leader… & tips to do it well! #erincondren

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Confession:

My husband doesn’t buy me flowers. He buys me stationary supplies.

As techy as I try to be, I can’t not have a paper/pencil planner. I have tried a variety of digital tools (google calendar, todoist, evernote). I have tried to quit cold turkey and only use my Outlook calendar so I can use my phone.

It never sticks.

Consider this. 

You are 42% more likely to achieve your goals by writing them down.

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Forbes reports a pretty incredible +study about goal-setting carried out in the Harvard MBA Program. Harvard’s graduate students were asked if they have set clear, written goals for their futures, as well as if they have made specific plans to transform their fantasies into realities. The result of the study was only 3% of the students had written goals and plans to accomplish them, 13% had goals in their minds but haven’t written them anywhere, and 84% had no goals at all.

Where would you fall?

So then after 10 years, the same group of students were interviewed again and the conclusion of the study will blow your mind as an educator. The 13 percent of the class who had goals, but did not write them down, earned twice the amount of the 84 percent who had no goals. The 3 percent who had written goals were earning, on average, 10 times as much as the other 97 percent of the class combined. People who don’t write down their goals tend to fail easier than the ones who have plans. Oh my lizard!

 

I use my planner for more than just tracking my days. I reference and compare the previous year to my current year, regularly. I add a lined sticky post it each month, where I record thoughts and notes about the events that had occurred each month. For example, we had a “chalk the walk” event last year. We invited our Wolves to join us for an hour the day before school started to write positive, encouraging messages on the sidewalks to welcome our staff and students back the next day. While I had remembered plenty of chalk, it would have been really nice to have water on that hot August afternoon. Now…while I would like to think I would have naturally remembered that this year, I wrote down LAST year to remind myself we should provide water. When I was filling out events in the current calendar, that note on last years August page served as a great reminder for me to make sure it was on this years to do list. Simplistic? possible. Effective? Definitely.

Goals are recorded on my monthly pages. They carry over until they are done. I am determined to be in that percentage that ACHIEVES their

 personal/professional goals. 

This year I cheated on my favorite paper planner. I have an entire shelf dedicated to my Erin Condren planners. They’re not cheap. It’d be much simpler just to run down to the Target and grab one. So I thought….why not? How different could a planer be?  Shoot, this year I went to Michael’s and bought one that I could “construct” myself. It was half the price even!

It lasted two weeks.

I couldn’t handle it and had to order another Life Planner from Erin Condren. <<head smack>>

What’s the difference?

  • Quality thinker paper, tighter coils, firmer cover that doesn’t get scratched/faded
  • Large monthly spreads with a place to record “to do’s” or reminders
  • POSITIVE happy quotes spread throughout- I’m a firm believer in think happy, be happy. These bright encouraging quotes make me look forward to opening my planner each day.
  • Hourly day spread- With two girls and a fireman to keep up with, I need as many details to keep me straight as possible
  • Seach #erincondren on Instagram for fun ideas for planning. My partner in principal crime, Melinda Miller, loves starting her week with an incredible layout! I’m going to start posting my weekly spread as well to share a glimpse of what my #fabulousyearfour looks like!

 

While the price may deter you… I have TWO discount codes that I can give to readers. (Comment below and first two win!) If you’re a NEW customer (or have a NEW email address!) you can use this link to get $10 off!!

 

Stationarily excited &