How to Deal With the Karen Walker Employee

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Remember the fabulous show Will & Grace? For those who were not privy to it, the show ran from the late 1990’s through 2005. Based in New York, it followed the lives of best friends. Grace Adler, a woman who ran her own interior design firm had an assistant, Karen Walker, a very rich, oft-drunk socialite. Karen made no bones about the job being a hobby for her, which resulted in some very funny moments. My personal favorite Karen-ism?

Grace Adler: Karen, I don’t want a check. I want assistance. I’m the boss. I give you checks.

Karen Walker: Yes, you do, honey, and I love them. I do. You know, I keep them all right here in this box.

While TV can show the hilarity of treating a job like a hobby, in real life it’s anything but. I’ve worked with two clients this year alone who were struggling with how to work with an employee who treated their job with a nonchalant, devil-may-care, laisez-faire attitude.

While I understand that everyone has a different tolerance for stress and some can make everything seem like a breeze, the Karen Walker employee is toxic because they do the bare minimum and seemingly flaunt it in the face of their boss and colleagues. They skim that line of acceptable performance, but seem to pull far enough away from underperforming at the last minute that it keeps them employed for far too long.

The cost you expect? Other employees. The Wills and Graces of the organization, the ones with actual passion for their job and a strong sense of work ethic. While underperformers can harm morale, the Karens pour gasoline on the culture you have tried so hard to build, and then slowly burn it.

The cost that may surprise you? It takes a huge toll on your brand and worth as a leader. People will wonder if you are either aware of their bad behavior and lack the guts to do anything about it, or if you are too clueless to notice.

Nip it in the bud. In the case of my two clients, they hired me to do coaching with each of their Karen Walker employees. The first? In Karen’s words, “Oh honey no, just no.” No amount of coaching, attempts at getting the employee to modify their behavior, recognize the impact on their colleagues, or gaining better understanding the company culture worked. Thankfully, the other person responded well to the coaching and was able to make modifications to their behavior and attitude and is now thriving.   If only Grace Adler had hired Pillar Search & HR Consulting!

Pro Bono Posting for a Top Nonprofit Search: Manager of Education – Nantucket Historical Association

  • Love bringing history to life for youth of all ages?
  • Able to connect Common Core and state standards to interactive museum learning and lesson plans?
  • Enjoy creating family-oriented programs, crafts and activities for all occasions?
  • Want to work for a great cause?

  

We may have the perfect job for you!

 

The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is seeking an energetic and positive visionary who enjoys educational and family programming to join its award-winning team as the Manager of Education.

 

The NHA provides a dynamic array of engaging educational programs serving Nantucket’s schools and youth organizations across the NHA campus, in schools and the greater community. The Manager of Education facilitates the development and implementation of educational and learning opportunities for schools, students, teachers, families and life-long learners within the Nantucket community and beyond.

 

Reporting to the Director of Visitor Experience, he/she researches, develops, and implements inspiring and pioneering youth initiatives that expose audiences to the internationally significant history of Nantucket Island, using the NHA mission and strategic tenets as a guideline for all projects. The ideal candidate will seek to better the visitor experience at every turn, creating one-of-a-kind youth and family programs which will serve as benchmarks on Nantucket and across the museum field.

 

The successful candidate is an energetic, highly-organized individual, with a flexible, personable nature, excellent communication skills, positivity, creativity, and a natural affinity towards working with the Nantucket community and educational stakeholders. Successful applicants should have some formal teaching experience, knowledge of Common Core and Massachusetts educational frameworks, and possess relevant experience in education in a museum setting. A Master’s degree in education, public history, or museum studies is preferred. A demonstrated interest in art history or museum administration is a plus. An open, positive attitude is essential.

 

Candidate should demonstrate excellent computer and writing skills, and an aptitude for learning new technology, media and A/V skills. Candidates will successfully manage multiple projects with grace under pressure and have the ability to work well in a team or take direction from a supervisor as needed. Applicant must be prepared to work weekends, evenings, and holidays as needed.

 

Cover letter, resume and three references should be emailed immediately to Rebecca Miller at rmiller@nha.org, or by mail c/o Nantucket Historical Association, PO Box 1016, Nantucket, MA 02554.

 

The Nantucket Historical Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Cindy Joyce to Present at Lean In Boston Chapter!

Lean In is a nonprofit organization and online community dedicated to helping all women achieve their ambitions.

 

Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boost-your-personal-brand-with-lean-in-boston-chapter-tickets-22668203206

 

Speakers

Cindy Joyce, Founder, Pillar Search on Promoting Yourself on Social Media

Social Media can be daunting. Between websites, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more, the opportunities to engage online are endless. How do you focus your efforts? In this discussion, Cindy outlines:

  • The Brand of YOU
  • Knowing your Audience
  • How to Build Credability with Content
  • Building Relationships

Cindy Joyce is the Founder of Pillar Search. With over 20 years of experience in recruiting and human resources, Cindy has a proved ability to build and maintain professional relationships. She has worked and volunteered at some truly great organizations including City Year, Lois L. Lindauer Searches, Junior League, Harvard Law School, FundQuest, Acadian Asset Management, and Dress for Success. Based in Boston, Cindy works on local and national executive searches.  Her human resources experience has afforded her an opportunity to work with clients in both non-profits and for-profits, with an emphasis on improving employee productivity and promoting a strong organizational culture. 

Elaine Varelas, Managing Partner, Keystone Partners on Career Boosters and Busters

We all share the desire to achieve career success, but as women the challenges that we face in the workforce are unique and the things that we need to do to drive career success are not always obvious. Additionally, many of us do things to derail our career and we don’t even know it. In this interactive session, Elaine Varelas will review the top career boosters and busters and show you how to avoid these insidious career derailers, while making changes (big and small) that will boost your career to the next level.

Elaine Varelas, Managing Partner of Keystone Partners, has over 20 years experience in career consulting and coaching development, and has worked with numerous executive management teams to improve organizational effectiveness. She has expertise in successfully resolving complex career management issues, including workforce planning, redeployment and multi-site restructurings. Elaine also serves as Treasurer of Career Partners International, LLC, a network of independently owned career management firms which Keystone co-founded in 1987.

For an additional $10, sign-up to have a professional headshot taken by April of Sweet Monday Photography. Did you know that your LinkedIn Profile is 11X more likely to be viewed if it has a picture? It’s worth the investment in a headshot that people will remember!

Want to get your hair done before the event? Call Blo Seaport at 617 426 0874 to book your reservation for March 30 and save $5 on the appointment when you mention Lean In.

When

Where

WeWork – 745 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111 – View Map

Human Resources Opportunities with Year Up Boston, a Best Nonprofit to Work For!

Year Up, a valued client of Pillar Search, is hiring!  Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c)3 organization striving to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive training program, these young adults complete a unique combination of rigorous, hands-on technical and professional skills training, college credit, and corporate internships. With an annual operating budget of $90 million, Year Up served over 2,700 students in 2015 nationwide.

 

Director of Talent Acquisition:   https://yearup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=487

Associate Director of Scouting & Sourcinghttps://yearup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=590

Temporary Recruiter (2 openings):  https://yearup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=589

 

To apply, please follow the links above.

New Search Announcement! Associate Director of Business Development for Year Up, A Best Nonprofit to Work For!

Pillar Search is pleased to announce the search for Year Up’s Associate Director of Business Development in San Jose, CA

 

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c)3 organization striving to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive training program, these young adults complete a unique combination of rigorous, hands-on technical and professional skills training, college credit, and corporate internships. With an annual operating budget of $90 million, Year Up served over 2,700 students in 2015 nationwide.

 

Year Up takes three approaches to closing the Opportunity Divide. Their core sites are based on their founding program model – direct service programming where facilities, staff, infrastructure, academics, and all other aspects of the program are managed by Year Up staff. The Professional Training Corps (PTC) is a community college based model that provides an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful workforce training. In this model, students are dual-enrolled in the community college and Year Up; technical skills are taught by college faculty, while Year Up staff provide professional skills and other wrap-around services. Lastly, their Employer Based Solutions are created in collaboration with employer partners; custom solutions are developed to meet critical business needs and solve for skills gap challenges in the marketplace.

 

Consistently voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For by the Nonprofit Times, Year Up is a rewarding place to work. Their staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. They set high standards for both themselves and their students, and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and full potential of young adults. The work they do is life-changing, and they know that their team is the greatest asset in achieving their mission.

 

OVERVIEW:

Reporting to the Regional Director of Partner Relations – West, the Associate Director of Business Development – Bay Area, CA is a key member of Year Up Bay Area’s Corporate Engagement team – the epitome of hard business skills in a mission-driven setting. S/he will connect top corporations in need of entry level talent with professionally trained, high-potential urban young adults.  The Corporate Engagement team, responsible for generating approximately 60% of our annual budget and connecting alumni with post-program career and education pathways, is seeking an additional member to reach tangible targets in developing and following leads, closing sales, and connecting grads with professional jobs.

To be successful in this role, you will desire to leverage your demonstrated for-profit revenue generation and career placement experience in a mission-driven social enterprise.  As an ideal candidate, you are someone who understands sales and thrives in environments that require you to build and maintain relationships.  You have a knack for networking and can speak passionately about Year Up’s mission and the students we serve.

In keeping with Year Up’s values, the Associate Director of Business Development will also have the opportunity to interact with students as a mentor, group facilitator, and advocate, participating in building a positive educational environment.

Year Up Map

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Revenue Generation and Outcomes Business Development:
  • Lead business development and acquisition by building new corporate partnerships for internship seats and alumni hiring to top companies in the Bay Area while maximizing all opportunities and making recommendations on the various solutions, partnerships, and volunteer opportunities Year Up offers
  • Develop and implement Business Development strategy that generates internship revenue through the acquisition of new corporate partnerships and leads to increased alumni hires through partnerships with staffing agencies and hiring managers
  • Engage with C-level executives and decision makers at all organizations, from Fortune 500s to start-ups and small local businesses in a variety of settings from one-one-one meetings to large events
  • Develop and leverage a database of qualified leads through referrals, telephone canvassing, face to face meetings, cold calling, direct mail, email, and networking responding to territory assignments
  • Create and conduct effective presentations and proposals that identify Year Up’s innovative model and past successes for solving entry level talent needs at partner corporations through internships and alumni hires
  • Ensure alignment between graduate skill-set and hiring partnership development, as well as between internship partnership, role development, and intern skill-set
  • Maintain accurate and comprehensive records (in Salesforce.com) of activities such as sales calls, presentations, closed sales, and follow-up
  • In conjunction with the Director, develop annual business plan detailing activities to follow during the year, which will focus the candidate on meeting or exceeding sales quota
  • Relationships Management (External):
  • Build and drive our strategy to engage multiple special interest groups within partner segment to deepen partnerships and grow pipeline
  • Plan and implement corporate partner events aimed at deepening engagement, including convening corporate champions across industry verticals
  • Embrace the mantra of “high expectations, high support” in interactions with corporate partners and interns
  • Staff and Students Relationships Management (Internal):
  • Facilitate collaboration across functional teams, specifically, development, academics, and career services
  • Work closely with program leadership to ensure students strategically align with corporate partners needs
  • Create greater understanding of the internship program to all Year Up staff members
  • Site Team/Learning Community Member
  • Serve as an advisor/mentor for a small number of current students
  • Join and sometimes facilitate weekly group sessions with students
  • Participate in staff meetings and trainings 

 

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Minimum of 4-5 years of experience preferred
  • New business sales and account management experience strongly preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree typical/preferred
  • Successful achievement of a minimum of $1m in sales targets
  • Demonstrated successful track record in a direct sales capacity
  • Demonstrated ability to generate leads and close business
  • Documented strengths in meaningful relationship building, management and growth
  • Strong networking skills and the ability to move comfortably and credibly in the community
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills to ensure alignment across several teams
  • Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail
  • A professional and resourceful style with the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative and manage multiple tasks and projects at a time
  • Ability to thrive in a fluid, dynamic organization with a minimal amount of direction
  • Ability to plan, introduce and lead a process that enables high quality growth
  • Ability to lead, willingness to be led, and comfort with situational leadership
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office required; Salesforce.com experience preferred
  • A passion for working with urban young adults, an unshakable belief in their potential and a strong commitment to the mission of Year Up
  • Understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its drivers
  • Commitment to diversity and inclusion

 

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

  • Salary: Competitive and commensurate with education and experience
  • Benefits: Competitive package including 100% healthcare coverage, dental, and 401(k) match
  • Vacation: Three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year
  • Professional development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives

 

TO APPLY:

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume to Cindy Joyce of Pillar Search at cindy@pillarsearch.com. Note that applications without a cover letter and salary expectations will not be considered. We respectfully request no phone calls.

Upcoming Speaking Engagement! Boost Your Personal Brand with Lean In Boston Chapter

I am honored and excited to have been selected as one of the speakers at Lean In Boston’s next Chapter meeting, where I will be leading a discussion how to promote yourself on social media. Joining me will be Elaine Varelas, Managing Director, Keystone Partners, who will be leading a discussion on career boosters and busters. Follow Lean In Boston on Facebook for more details on what is sure to be an exciting event.

Save the Date!  March 30, 2016 5:30 p.m. at WeWork South Station, Boston, MA

About Lean In:

The book Lean In is focused on encouraging women to pursue their ambitions, and changing the conversation from what we can’t do to what we can do. LeanIn.Org is the next chapter. Lean In is committed to offering women the ongoing inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals. Lean In believes that if we talk openly about the challenges women face and work together, we can change the trajectory of women and create a better world for everyone. Empowering women and closing the gender leadership gap are imperative for companies that want to perform at the highest level. That’s where Lean In comes in. Lean In’s programming helps women connect with peers and organizations counteract gender bias.

About Cindy Joyce and Pillar Search:

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation.     In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications.    A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level. To contact Pillar Search, click here.

Surf’s Up: What Surfing Can Teach You about Your Job Search

I am a surfer, or at least aspiring to be one.  Recently, I was out on my board on a day with few good waves and plenty of downtime to ponder this addicting sport and life in general, and began to realize that there are many parallels between the job search and surfing.

 

Like the job search, surfing depends as much on one’s skill and experience as it does a host of conditions that we have zero control over.  Weather.  Crowded surfing areas and beaches.  Wave size and frequency.  Swell direction.  The list is endless, just as it is when you are seeking a new job in a competitive market or industry.

 

Once you have decided to get in the water (or start looking for your next career opportunity), you paddle out and try not to bump into others.  In the job search, this can be those baby steps that are really critical to overall success, such as writing your resume, crafting solid cover letters, beefing up your LinkedIn profile, and letting people in your network know that you are open to a new opportunity.

 

Experienced surfers will have multiple boards to choose from to suit their mood or the conditions. Savvy candidates will do the same. Perhaps your “board” will be resumes that highlight different skills and career objectives depending on the jobs you are interested in, or cover letters that will be the differentiator. Knowing yourself and the tools that are available to you is key to success.

 

Like choosing the right job to apply to, choosing the right wave is key.  It would be physically and emotionally exhausting to paddle out, attempt to get in the right spot at the right time, pop up, and stay balanced if surfers went after every wave that came along.  Be selective so that you are fresh and energized when the right one comes along.

 

Hang ten.  Surfs up.  Cut the curl.  These are not sayings that you will hear on a golf course, tennis court, or basketball court. They are specific to the sport of surfing. An industry will have its own language and catch phrases.  Do your research so that you can communicate better with the people you are interviewing with and gain their trust and confidence.

 

Enjoy the ride, even if it is not the perfect wave.  There are days that I get out on the board and I am just not feeling it, but I still enjoy being out there.  The same can happen in an interview when the job and company look great on paper, but in the light of day you just do not feel that spark.  Relax.  Every interview is good practice and experience as well as a chance to expand your network.   Surfers talk about catching the perfect wave, but in reality we try and try and keep getting back on the board, even after falling or not doing our best.

 

Having a good instructor helps.  Even the most experienced surfers sometimes need a fine tuning on their technique, someone who can help them to look at their style and approach and make suggestions.  In the job search, working with an Executive Recruiter can be invaluable, as we will take a fresh look at your resume and help you to identify the skills and experiences that you should highlight in the interview.

 

Ultimately, you may need to try a few waves before you find the ideal one, but in the end, there is no feeling as satisfying and euphoric as catching that perfect wave.  The same holds true for the job search.  Keep at it, and you will catch the right job and have the ride of your life.