Have you had people in your life who just know how to make you feel good about yourself?  Is there anyone who’s surprised you with a compliment, or noticed something good about you and shared their observation with you?  Do you have an ego booster in your world?  Who pumps you up?

Today,  I went to one of the early childhood centers that the agency runs; there are eight in total.  We’d just gotten some amazing news (yesterday) about our Bright Stars rating–it’s the way childcare in Rhode Island is quality-rated; think AAA hotel ratings–for childcare.   I went to the debrief session with the supervisor and manager of the site and the Bright Stars staff.  It was an opportunity to learn from the reviewers what we’d done particularly well and where we needed to continue to make improvements to improve our service to kids.

Before the Bright Stars folks left I took their picture alongside our staff holding the certificate that showed our 4-Star rating (the highest is a “5”).  Once the session was over and it was only our staff standing in conversation,  the center’s supervisor thanked me profusely for coming to the meeting.  You see it’s not something I was required to do but is a matter of how I do my work.  It’s important that our staff not only feel supported, but that they SEE the support from top to bottom in the organization.  I was very happy to hear that the supervisor appreciated that I was there.

Beyond her thanks she said something to me that really lifted my spirits:  “You know, Kelly, you’re one of my favorite people here.  You say what you mean and mean what you say.  You can let someone know they’ve done something wrong and have them feeling good about it.  And, you celebrate the good stuff with us.”  Wow!  What a way to end my work day!

It may sound a little silly to thank the people who thank me, but, the acknowledgements that are an occasional part of my work really do pump me up!

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