Appreciation at Work Podcast

You don't need a payroll to build a team culture. You just think you do.

In this episode, I sit down with JC Hite, a partner here at Appreciation at Work and the owner of Hite Digital, to talk about hiring, leading teams, and what it actually takes to build team culture before you can afford to pay anyone.

JC walks through the four team members every small business owner already has, starting with yourself. If you hired someone who worked the way you work, would you give them a raise? That question alone will change how you lead.

We also get into why 89% of people will accept less money for the right culture, and JC's simple "video of awesomeness" trick for spotting who's really willing to go the extra mile before you ever make an offer.

If you're leading a small or remote team and wondering how to show real appreciation without a big budget, this one is for you.

CHAPTER BREAKDOWN
00:01 – Welcome & Meet JC Hite
00:22 – Setting Up Today's Conversation: Hiring, Teams, and Appreciation
03:04 – You Have a Bigger Team Than You Think
04:26 – Team Member #1: You Are the Hardest Person You'll Ever Lead
07:51 – Team Member #2: Why Your Spouse Belongs on the Team
13:12 – Team Member #3: Choosing the Mentors Who Shape Your Culture
15:39 – How to Ask for a Mentor (Even When You're Broke)
17:26 – You Have Agency: Choose It and Be Intentional
18:36 – Team Member #4: Hiring Your First Employees Without Fear
20:23 – The Real Data on Why People Leave
21:52 – The "Video of Awesomeness": JC's Hiring Filter
24:54 – Closing Thoughts & Where to Learn More

BOOKS MENTIONED
- The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

- The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman, Paul White (new edition with William Attaway and JC Hite coming out in October, 2026)

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

Jim Uhl spent almost 30 years as a police officer before he became a leadership researcher, a Gallup-certified strengths coach, and the Chief Engagement Officer of Breaking the Chain Consulting. 

Jim and I talk about the four missing links he sees holding organizations back: purpose and values, strengths, a culture of appreciation, and forgiveness. We get into why so many leaders build their culture by accident instead of on purpose, and why that gap is costing them their best people. 

Jim walks through how he helped one client welcome four new hires on day one using each of the five languages of appreciation, and why none of them have any intention of leaving. We also talk about what trust is really built on, why AI can never replace it, and why intentional appreciation has to come from your own strengths to feel authentic instead of forced. 

If you've wondered whether appreciation actually drives retention, this episode settles it.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

- Audacious: Forgiveness in the Workplace by Jim Uhl

- Stop Being Nice by Jim Uhl

- The Arch by Jim Uhl

If this conversation stirred something in you, go find Jim at breakingthechainconsulting.com, or learn more about his new book at audacious-book.com. You can reach him directly at [email protected], or follow him on Instagram @breakingthechain73 and on LinkedIn under his own name, Jim Uhl.

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

If you've ever wondered why the way you say thank you doesn't always land the way you intend, this episode is for you. I sat down with Dr. David Knapp, president of Marathon Leadership in Thornton, Colorado, and author of the 2024 book Marathon Leadership: 26.2 Essential Lessons for Leaders, to talk about what happens when leaders finally understand the 5 languages of appreciation. 

David has trained everyone from Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 100 companies to county public works crews in Colorado, and he shares two stories that show exactly what changes when people feel appreciated the way they actually want to be. We also talk about why leadership is a marathon and not a sprint, how to stay authentic while being intentional about appreciation, and the two biggest challenges leaders face when they try to put the 5 languages of appreciation into practice: hybrid work and generational differences. 

If you lead people and want them to feel it, not just hear it, you'll want every minute of this one.

⏱ CHAPTER BREAKDOWN

00:22 – Meet Dr. David Knapp, President of Marathon Leadership

01:56 – From corporate HR to full-time leadership consulting

03:03 – How the 5 languages of appreciation found him

03:52 – The moment it clicked: not everyone wants appreciation the same way

04:36 – David's own appreciation language: words of affirmation

06:01 – Why it's called Marathon Leadership

07:37 – Two stories that prove appreciation drives real engagement

11:19 – Balancing authenticity with intentionality

12:43 – The two biggest challenges: hybrid work and generational gaps

15:40 – One practical step you can take this week

17:15 – Connect with Dr. David Knapp

📚 BOOKS MENTIONED

- Marathon Leadership: 26.2 Essential Lessons for Leaders by David D. Knapp, Ph.D.

Reach out to David through the contact button at marathonleadership.com, or email him directly at [email protected].

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

Ever wonder why you double-check one person's work but never think twice about another's? That gap isn't about skill; it's about trust. In this episode, Dr. William Attaway breaks down the three pillars every person on your team is unconsciously measuring in you: competence, consistency, and character. 

He walks through the three most common ways leaders accidentally destroy trust with their team (usually while trying their best) and shares a real story of a director who rebuilt trust with her team after learning they'd quietly stopped bringing her problems. 

Harvard Business Review found high-trust teams perform roughly 50% better. This episode gives you three practical shifts to start building trust with your team today, whether you're starting from scratch or repairing something that's been damaged.

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

What if your top performer is quietly doing the math on when to leave, even while you're celebrating her as Employee of the Year? 

This week I sit down with JC Hite, co-owner of Appreciation at Work, fresh off a workshop with one of the fastest-growing therapy clinics in Arkansas. JC breaks down the framework that compounds appreciation — knowing, appreciating, and serving — and tells the story of an award-winning employee who nearly quit because her company confused recognition vs appreciation. 

We dig into the six-week rule for staying connected to your team, the five levels of service that separate forgettable interactions from unforgettable ones, and the Gallup data behind it all: 23% higher profitability, 78% lower absenteeism, and 70% more employees who say they're genuinely thriving. 

If you've ever wondered whether your culture efforts are actually landing, this conversation will change how you look at every touchpoint with your team.

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

You can't promote everyone, and the budget for bonuses only stretches so far, so what do you do for the people who are doing great work but won't see it reflected in a raise? 

That's the exact tension Jasmine Liew, founder of Breakthrough Catalyst and Singapore's premier partner for the Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, walked into years ago as an HR leader reading engagement survey results. What she found reshaped how she leads: recognition vs appreciation isn't a semantic debate; recognition is tied to results, but appreciation is something you can offer every single person, every single day, regardless of KPIs. 

In this conversation, Jasmine unpacks how the MBA Inventory takes the guesswork out of appreciation, why her own go-to language backfired with her team, and how psychological safety and words of affirmation are helping multigenerational teams push through AI adoption anxiety without feeling judged. 

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and your team still doesn't feel valued, this episode is your reset.

Connect with Jasmine via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-liew-psychsafety/ or by email at [email protected]. Her website is breakthroughcatalyst.org.

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

If your team isn't feeling it, a generic "great job" email isn't going to fix that. I've seen leaders try, and I've done it myself. 

In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Gray, Chief Deputy Director at Marion County Community Corrections in Indiana and a certified Appreciation at Work facilitator, who has been implementing the Appreciation at Work framework with her 200-person agency for several years. 

What Jennifer shares will challenge the way you think about recognition and show you what a genuine workplace appreciation culture actually looks like in practice. You'll hear how her agency went from scattered, one-size-fits-all gestures to intentional, language-specific appreciation that cut turnover, boosted engagement, and earned a 99% "worth my time" rating from staff. If you lead people and care about culture, this one is for you.

Want to learn how Jennifer's agency implemented the Appreciation at Work framework, including the custom training survey they developed? Reach out to Jennifer directly at [email protected]. She's generous with her insights and willing to share what's worked.

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

If you've ever told someone "good job" and watched them walk away unmotivated, there's a reason, and it's not about effort. It's about the difference between recognition and appreciation. 

In this episode, I sit down with Sheryl Driggers, keynote speaker, leadership coach, and entrepreneur with 25 years of business leadership experience. She co-founded a collision repair company in Tallahassee in 2001, grew it to three thriving locations, and sold it in 2021. Today she works with Collision Advice, helping leaders create cultures that customers love and teams don't want to leave. 

Sheryl shares how she went from task-driven operator to culture-focused coach and what shifted everything. This conversation is for any leader ready to stop confusing output with human worth and start building an employee appreciation culture that actually retains your best people.

BOOKS MENTIONED:

• The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
• The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White

Connect with Sheryl on LinkedIn and explore her speaking and coaching work at SherylDriggers.com. 

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

If you're leading a team that's stretched thin, and you're wondering whether building an employee appreciation culture is even realistic, this episode is for you.

I'm joined by Melanie Bazile, Director of Innovation and Expansion at Compass, an organization that provides supported and independent living services for adults with disabilities across the entire state of California. Compass has been doing this work for 30 years, and over the last five, Melanie has been the driving force behind embedding the Languages of Appreciation into the fabric of their culture.

What she'll share isn't theory. It's a real-world blueprint for what it actually takes — the buy-in battles, the consistency challenges, the moments where it almost slipped — and why she'd do it all again. If you've been hesitant to start, Melanie's message is simple: just start.

Compass offers consulting for organizations that provide services to people with disabilities, as well as mastermind experiences for peer learning. Reach out to Melanie directly at https://www.compasscares.com/staff/melanie-anderson/

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.

Recognition tells your team they performed. Appreciation tells them they matter. If you’ve been leaning on one and wondering why culture still feels hollow, this episode is for you.

My guest today is Krista Kindley, a training and development professional with the Family and Children’s Resource Program at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work. With 16 years in child welfare, Krista has seen some of the most burnout-prone, resource-stressed workplaces in the country, and she’s been quietly building a culture of genuine peer appreciation at work from the inside out.

In this conversation, Krista shares the “Appreciation Station,” a simple, zero-budget tool built inside Microsoft Teams that allows any team member, at any level, to express appreciation to anyone else on the org chart. No management approval required. No formal authority needed. And she walks us through exactly why that matters.

If you’re an HR leader, manager, or business owner who wants your people to feel genuinely valued, not just evaluated, this one will stay with you.

Books Mentioned

- The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White

- The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman

- A Culture of Appreciation by Frank DiMazio

Krista is doing meaningful work in the human services space through the Family and Children’s Resource Program at UNC Chapel Hill. You can connect with her and learn more at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work website.

Interested in more training like this, where you can earn SHRM and HRCI continuing education credit? Check out the Appreciation at Work® HR Professional Membership at https://hr.joinaaw.com/.