Janie Wolicki Best, CEO/Executive Director, WHW [ACDN Interview Feature]

ACDN: How long have you been involved with your agency and ACDN?

JWB: March 2017 marks my 6 year anniversary as CEO/Executive Director at WHW.  We joined ACDN back in 2003! 

ACDN: What makes your organization special or unique?

JWB: The mission of WHW is to provide the unemployed and underemployed the skills and resources they need to get and keep a good job. Since 1993, WHW has served over 80,000 job seekers referred by over 275 partner agencies at no charge.

In order to accomplish this, WHW provides wrap around employment support services for thousands of job seekers each year.  Programs include more than 60 Employment Readiness and Computer Training Workshops, Job Placement Assistance, Employment Retention Support and Professional Apparel for both women and men. There’s something for everyone!  Job seekers are able to choose the workshops and programs that are best suited to their job search and that address their particular need. This is important since WHW serves all job seekers, whether they are entry level or seasoned executives.

WHW is a very data driven organization, investing in technology to effectively evaluate and measure the success and impact of programs.  These evaluations and measurements are used to refine and create new programs based on job seeker needs and outcomes.  WHW regularly provides these statistics and metrics to supporters to verify the impact of their investments.  Metrics include number of job seekers served, number of job seekers who gain employment, percentage of job seekers who are still employed 90 days after employment, among others.  Current data shows that 75% of WHW job seekers who are enrolled in our Employment Readiness services will get a job within 4 months, which is three times faster than the national average of 12 months.  And 90% of those employed will still have their job 90 days later, increasing their household income by over 600% and saving our community over $30 million in social assistance payments.

ACDN: How has this work affected you? 

JWB: It is incredibly rewarding to be a part of changing someone’s life.  We empower each of our job seekers to see someone in the mirror who can, instead of someone who can’t. And in the bigger picture an entire family is changed and a community is improved. Being part of a solution that gives people hope and often times a second chance is something most people never experience.  

ACDN: What is your biggest challenge as an Executive Director and how are you overcoming this challenge?

JWB: To remain relevant and to make a real impact, WHW must be very nimble and flexible in our programs and their delivery; which means constant CHANGE.  Bringing about change in an organization with 11 staff and over 1,000 volunteers can be challenging.  I have tried to create an environment where change and innovation are highly valued.  Those who are delivering direct service to our job seekers have great insight and their opinions are highly mean a lot.  As a fundamentally impatient person, change never happens quickly enough for me. But I constantly remind myself that a freight train can’t stop on a dime!

ACDN: Tell us a success story about your organization. 

JWB: Two years ago, WHW moved from a clunky, old Access database for our client intake to a very sophisticated platform, which is a customized version of Salesforce.  As a result, we have become very data centric, and are able to provide rich outcomes to both funders and individual donors, which clearly demonstrate the impact of their investment in WHW.  We’ve also been able to expand the database to include volunteer registration and scheduling, which has allowed WHW staff members to focus more on development and program delivery and less on administration.

ACDN: Tell us a client story.

JWB: When Russell Cannon walked through the doors of WHW, he had been in the Welfare to Work program for 2 years; he was underemployed, he had no transportation and he had no insurance.  And the worst thing…he was about to lose custody of his 1-year old daughter. Russell did not believe that the state program was working. WHW staff and volunteers diligently addressed the particular needs that Russell had as a job seeker. Russell participated in Employment Readiness Workshops that empowered him with an effective resume and confident interviewing skills.  Russell also received professional apparel and accessories that helped him to stand out from other job seekers and become a marketable candidate for jobs that he had only dreamed about.  Russell shared that WHW programs “provided relevant content that gave me the skills to find, negotiate and retain full-time employment with good pay and benefits.”  Today, Russell has three jobs!  He is an Assistant to the Executive Chef at Disneyland responsible for feeding over 23,000 cast members; he is also a Lead Cook at Orange Hill Restaurant overseeing the Sunday Brunch, which was for the first time in their history, voted the 2016 Best Brunch in Orange County. And his most important job is a full time Daddy to his now 2-year old daughter.  Russell recently shared with WHW supporters, “if it were not for your donations, I would still be in the Welfare to Work program, just looking for any job I could get.  I would most likely be underemployed, still have no transportation or insurance and my precious daughter would be a ward of the County.  The reality is those whose donations enabled me to be part of WHW, saved money, because now I can pay my own way, I can pay my own taxes and I can leave something for the generation that follows me.”

ACDN: Complete these statements:

Being a member of ACDN enables our agency to… 

JWB: …share and learn best practices from other organizations working toward the same goal of helping people get back to work. Being a member of ACDN allows WHW to be part of something bigger than just our own community; we are contributing to the betterment of communities nationwide.

If it were not for ACDN, … 

JWB: …WHW would not have access to the wholesale buying power of ACDN.  Plus size suits available to partner agencies has been a true blessing to WHW.

ACDN’s Interview Feature showcases ACDN Member leaders. This includes founders, executive directors, and program managers. The interviews offer a more in-depth perspective on the critical work our member agencies do throughout the year and demonstrates the impact on their community. 

2017 ACDN National Smart & Sexy Day Highlights

During Women’s History Month, twelve ACDN member nonprofits hosted National Smart & Sexy Day events for over 400 women and helped prepare them for employment. Learn more about 2017 ACDN National Smart & Sexy Day. We invited our hosts to share a short summary and highlights of their celebrations.

Bloom formerly Image for Success - San Rafael, CA

Contributed by Sherene Chen, Bloom Executive Director

Bloom’s 2017 Smart & Sexy Day was a success with 15 eager participants who had a wonderful experience. We started the day off by viewing the inspirational video by Smart & Sexy CEO, Ariela Balk, and proceeded into our bra-fittings session. All of the women were delighted to have a proper fitting done as well as receive a beautiful new bra. We were fortunate to have Carrie Veurink, ACDN Managing Partner, join us. 

Bloom hosted two wonderful speakers, Lisa Safran of Improv Consultants and Jenny Bailey of Your Vivid Style. Lisa gave an interactive and exciting improve style workshop on interview skills. Lisa also shared with the attendees her story of when she was a client of Bloom and what it means to be able to give back today. Lisa was inspiring for the women as she explained how she went from needing the clothing and assistance from Bloom to running her own successful business today. Jenny Bailey helped with wardrobe styling and interview appropriate clothing. She was able to answer many important questions the audience had about preparing their clothing and appearance for interviews. Sara Ladd of The Beauty Counter followed up Jenny’s presentation with a brief demonstration on work appropriate makeup. 

The women broke for lunch between the speakers and were able to get to know one another, shop in Bloom’s boutique and share stories with staff. It was a fun group of participants who were eager to excel in their pursuits to find meaningful employment. Lisa Safra of Improv Consultants had provided a gift certificate for her executive coaching services and we had a fun drawing for the gift. The day ended with a brief survey. One of the participants was so moved by Lisa’s story she showed me that her goal on the survey was to be as successful as Lisa Safran. It was overall a meaningful experience for all participants.

Bottomless Closet - New York, NY

Contributed by Gineyda Diaz, Bottomless Closet Operations Director and ACDN Board Member

Bottomless Closet is proud to have hosted our sixth Annual Smart & Sexy Day on March 23, 2017. Thanks to the generous donation of space from our partners at Wells Fargo, we were able to host 100 clients this year! This is the second year that Wells Fargo donated their event space for Smart & Sexy Day and once again, their staff, led by Kia Manlove and Carla Davis, were on hand to present “The Business of Etiquette”. This entertaining yet informative workshop walked clients through interview and on the-job tips. Anisha Mukherjee from Dress for the Day presented a workshop on how to dress for interviews on a budget. In addition, Roberta Dougherty, a longtime volunteer and Smart & Sexy Day regular, presented her “Strictly Business or Business Casual” workshop, guiding clients on the real definition of ‘business casual’. 

Since the Smart & Sexy headquarters are in New York, Bottomless Closet has the pleasure of sharing the day’s events with Smart & Sexy staff. Brady Halbert and others Smart & Sexy staff were on hand to help with the bra fittings. Brady and team also helped us choose our 2017 #SupportMeans contest winner, Norma, who wrote, “Support to me is when I am experiencing tough times, I look for people or company who [are] willing to listen to me and give me support [like] Bottomless Closet and Henry Street Settlement.” Henry Street Settlement is one of 125 referral organizations that refer clients to Bottomless Closet.

Thank you, as always, to the Alliance of Career Development Nonprofits and Smart & Sexy for their generous grant. This grant ensures that so many women across the country receive the adequate support they need to enter the workforce.

Career Wardrobe (Philadelphia, PA)

Contributed by Caitlin Garozzo, Career Wardrobe Program Director

Career Wardrobe hosted Smart & Sexy Day on March 27, 2017 for 17 eager and excited women. Our event included a presentation by Karima Renee, the Philly Bra Lady, who shared with our attendees her own story of coming to realize the importance of a great fitting bra. Karima explained the different types of bras available and when (and for whom!) these bras are appropriate. The Philly Bra Lady then served as our expert bra fitter and provided each attendee with one on one attention and a whole lot of love. You could overhear “WOW!” and “I look amazing!” coming from the fitting rooms but my all-time favorite quote of the day was from one of our bustier attendees. Upon seeing herself in her true size bra, she shouted “Oh sweetness! Where did they go?! I can wear my cute shirt without scaring the children!” The power of a great bra is undeniable.  

After lunch, Career Wardrobe welcomed John Wind and Robbin Cook of John Wind Maximal Art. This dynamic duo have been in business together since the 80s and have created custom and costume jewelry featured on high fashion run ways, in magazine spreads such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, as well as a series of accessories deemed one of Oprah’s Favorite Things. John and Robbin shared how to accessorize your work outfits with simple and easy to find pieces and gifted all of our participants with earrings and bracelets.  

Smart & Sexy Day was another wild success and Career Wardrobe is so grateful to ACDN and Smart & Sexy for the opportunity to host this great event!

Desert Best Friend’s Closet – Palm Desert, CA

Contributed by Connie Golds, DBFC Executive Director and ACDN Board Vice President 

Desert Best Friend’s Closet (DBFC) hosted it’s third Smart & Sexy Day on Friday, March 24, 2017. Women from six different agencies were invited to attend: ABC Recovery Center, Riverside County Department of Probation, California Department of Rehabilitation, College of the Desert’s Veteran Center and The Center for LGBTQ.

Dr. Darlene Ponder founder of Kingdom Generation International, which has the goal to change the world, socially, economically and spiritually, was our kickoff speaker. Debra Tryon, a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley, encouraged the women to stay on the path they develop together, to create the life they want for themselves and their family. Next Katherine Melbourne founder of the Summit School of Protocol, taught the proper way to make an introduction, emphasizing business introductions. Matthew Campos of Desert Best Friend’s Closet focused on developing a successful job search strategy and what one would look like.

Over a third of the woman admitted that they had never been fitted for a bra before. They LOVED the way the bras fit and looked. Comments included that they “look expensive,” “sexy,” and felt “comfortable” were common.

Jackets for Jobs, Inc. – Detroit, MI

Contributed by Alison Vaughn, Founder/Executive Director

Jackets for Jobs Smart & Sexy day was action-packed and filled of laughter and love. 25 women entered a room full pink and white decor with Smart & Sexy lingerie featured throughout the room. Jackets for Jobs staff of 7 people, six women and one male greeted the ladies with pastries and juice and opened the program with an ice-breaker game.

Fox2 News covered our story. I did two radio interviews 105.9FM and 910AM promoting Smart & Sexy Day. We hosted several wonderful speakers; Terri King, make-up artist spoke about the 5 minute face, Sharon Seaward spoke about A clean closet= A clean Life, Jennine Spencer, owner of Elegant Images beauty Salon talked about hair care and Alison Vaughn, founder of Jackets for Jobs spoke about goal setting from her book, Ms. Goal Digger, Success is Sexy!

Lunch was provided by Paneras Bakery and everyone received a free bra and gift bag. Everyone walked away feeling empowered and more self-confident. The icing on the cake was a proclamation from Mayor Mike Duggan, proclaiming March 15, 2017 Smart & Sexy Day in Detroit, MI.

Career Closet (JLEP) – Cranford, NJ

Contributed by Valerie Camera, Career Closet Co-Chair

On March 22, 2017, the Junior League of Elizabeth Plainfield’s Career Closet and the Alliance of Career Development Nonprofits (ACDN) hosted a celebratory event from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm at the Jumble Store located at 110 Walnut Avenue in Cranford honoring Women’s History Month. Career Closet volunteers assisted twenty-two women from nPower, Easterseals and the Urban League of Union County with selecting business attire. They also received a professional bra fitting and new Smart & Sexy bra, and training on building a resume, interviewing skills and building a professional wardrobe on a budget by Heidi Martindill and Nydia Diefenbach. Over lunch they heard from a panel of professional women (Panelists: Vanessa Parisi, Kalshelia Lloyd, Kristen Barletta and Valerie Camara and Moderator: Heidi Martindill) as they discussed their careers and provided the audience with helpful tips for navigating their career paths. The ladies also received a new tote, scarf and necklace along with the clothing. The event was made possible by a grant from ACDN and Smart & Sexy and volunteers from the Junior League of Elizabeth Plainfield. The Junior League of Elizabeth Plainfield also received a resolution from the New Jersey State Senator Kean, Assemblyman Bramnickand Assemblywoman Munoz for the 21st District of New Jersey proclaiming March 22, 2017 Women’s Empowerment Day. The resolution also recognized the great work the Junior League has done serving the community, as well as acknowledging the fifteen years that Career Closet has been serving low income women in the community with free career dressing services.

Ladies of Valor Empowerment (L.O.V.E.) – North Miami, FL

Contributed by Alourdes Pierre, LOVE Executive Director

The Ladies of Valor Empowerment was a huge success:  There was a guest panel of 3 women trailblazers, Dr. Malou C, Harrison, President Miami Dade College, North Campus; Attorney Patricia S. Joseph from PSJ Law Group, First Lady, City of North Miami; Former Director Miami Dade Corrections Department, Marydell Guevarra, First Hispanic Female Director of a Major Public Safety in Miami Dade County. There 45 attendees to include 45 women and teenage girls the YOVES. In attendance also was the Dr. Joseph Smith, Mayor of the City of North Miami, Miami-Dade County Commissioner, Jean Monestime.

“Thank you for brining Smart & Sexy Day to the community. For women by women, today is a new day in my life, a day of hope, encouragement and support, I am blessed.”

Suited for Success – Oklahoma City, OK

Contributed by Susan Walton, Suited for Success Executive Director

March 23rd was Smart & Sexy Day in Oklahoma City.  As part of the celebration, Suited for Success provided a day of workforce training, professional image classes and individual support for women with the goal of enabling them to take action, secure employment and enhance the quality of their lives. The event’s keynote speaker was Joleen Chaney from NewsChannel Four. Our training modules included: Do’s and Don’ts of Interviewing, Positive Body Language Tips for Personal and Professional Success, and Building a Wardrobe on a Budget.  The highlight of the day for the participants was receiving their beautiful Smart & Sexy bra.  We are grateful to ACDN and Smart & Sexy for allowing us the opportunity to participate in our fifth annual Smart & Sexy Day. It’s one of the best days of the year.

2017 Smart and Sexy Day - Oklahoma City

Hosted by Suited for Success, Oklahoma 

March 23, 2017

Tailored for Success – Malden, MA

Contributed by Elizabeth Hart, Tailored for Success Executive Director

The 2nd Annual Smart, Tailored & Ready/Smart & Sexy Day was held at the Malden YMCA and attended by 25 women.  A lively discussion on the dos and don’ts of interviewing was led by a representative of People’s United Bank.  Also, as always the highest score in evaluations came from the segment on Credit from Bank of America.  The women who participated were thrilled to hear from the founder of Smart & Sexy bras through the recorded video she made.  Participants were treated to breakfast, lunch and given swag bags and Smart & Sexy Bras. 

WHW – Santa Ana, CA

WHW’s ‘Smart & Sophisticated’ program sponsored by Smart & Sexy brought together twenty women from various local nonprofit organizations that were struggling to regain their confidence and self-esteem and conjoined them with female professionals from all parts of Southern California who are part of Pepsi Co’s Women In Leadership Network to ignite an empowering, life-transforming program. Premiere Image Consultant, Lauren Solomon, kicked-off the program with an introspective and interactive workshop on how to move toward a place of self-acceptance and provided a roadmap on how to present a professional image for their future. This set the stage for the women to be matched with a Pepsi Co. executive to serve as a guide to help them pick-out suits and business attire to be interview-ready.

The Pepsi Co. volunteers served as mentors to encourage, educate and equip the women in attendance with the insight and understanding of how to make a dynamic first impression. Looking in the mirror to see an industrious, independent and innovative woman in the reflection, each client saw themselves through a completely different lens then when they first walked through WHW’s doors. The program culminated with a mock interview roundtable where the ladies in leadership from Pepsi Co. served as prospective employers and interviewed the women in a speed-dating style scenario. This provided the women with constructive feedback on how to improve their responses and overall presentation to successfully seek and secure employment. WHW is proud to say that each woman who attended left feeling smart and sophisticated and the Pepsi Co. professionals were inspired by the difference they could make for each of the ladies they worked with in just one day.

YWCA Allentown/The Perfect Fit: Smart & Sexy Day

Contributed by Sarah Barrett, YWCA Executive Director

18 women joined the YWCA Allentown’s Perfect Fit for Working Women program at Transcend Salon in Allentown to celebrate Smart & Sexy Day on May 27, 2017.

Participants were greeted by a representative from Mayor Pawlowski’s office proclaiming March 27, 2017 as Smart & Sexy Day in Allentown before attending workshops exploring networking as a critical skill for career success, and discussing how to build a fabulous professional wardrobe on a budget.

Hair and makeup were perfected by the talented staff of Transcend Salon as our participants posed for professional head shots to be used on their LinkedIn profiles and resumes!

During their keynote presentation, the Wisdom Coalition’s Nancy Werteen and Kim Howie inspired women to find and choose joy in their lives and reflected on the power of positivity and its connection to self confidence, motivation, and reclaiming control of our lives.

We wrapped up the day by publicly declaring what #SupportMeans to each of us, then writing our declarations and posting them to the wall as a visual reminder that our community of collaboration and encouragement exists to help empower us to become our best selves.

Transforming Lives and Restoring Hope – Roanoke Rapids, NC

Contributed by Stephanie Credle, TLRH Executive Director

On March 18, 2017, Transforming Lives & Restoring Hope, Inc. hosted Smart & Sexy Day 2017: Women’s Empowerment Day. 25 women attended this event. This was our second opportunity to host this event in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, a small town that has been significantly impacted by unemployment and poverty. Formerly a textile town, featured in the movie Norma Rae, Roanoke Rapids is challenged by the lack of industry sufficient raise the median household income. Mayor Emery G. Doughtie proclaimed March 18, 2017 as Smart & Sexy Day. Senator Smith-Ingram praised TLRH on this year’s event, stating, “congratulations to you in advancing your service to underserved women in the Roanoke Valley communities. TLRH serves as a shining example for other non-profits in promoting community building through investing in human capacity. Your calling is noble; your service is needed; your work is making a difference in the lives of so many.”

The women thoroughly enjoyed the event. One attendee remarked, I am blown away! What a “Superb” event! BRAVO!!! Words cannot express the awesome experiences I had. It was truly a phenomenal day at the Spa ... hosted by Transforming Lives & Restoring Home / Lilly’s Boutique. (exceptional program at -no- charge!) The information presented today was phenomenal... truly high quality Speakers! Special thanks to Kelly Barber, Tammy Crowley Deloatch, Joyce Strong-Hurt, Ella House, Christine Carmichael, and Sue Wage for professional music, food, gifts, spa treatments and powerful presentations all day. Today was EPIC!”

EPIC was our goal! We designed Smart & Sexy 2017 to be unique and motivational for all, especially Millennials! Joyce Strong Hurt delivered her training in a unique way, using the voice that won Amateur Night at the Apollo when she was 18 to encourage women to never give up on their dreams. Her husband, Grammy award winning producer, Norman Hurt, highlighted the current challenges to empowerment in the media to highlight the barriers women face with gender bias. Ms. Christine Carmichael conducted a powerful Etiquette workshop that so resonated with the ladies that they were sharing the principles of the handshake and power presence days after the event ended. Speaker Tammy Crowley Deloatch provided insight about her success as a women-owned business, while candidly shared her challenges. Tears flowed as she inspired women to stay the course and trust in God to guide. Dr. Stephanie Credle, founder of TLRH, asked the question, “If Your Wardrobe Could Speak, What Would It Say? Even the local newspaper reporter nodded when she asked, “Is there anything in your closet that doesn’t reflect the YOU you want to be? Ms. Ella House hit a home run with a “comfort zone breaking” presentation that challenged women to put their dreams to the test.

Finally, TLRH set the environment for the women. The Renaissance Spa was the perfect backdrop for a day of education and edification. From the Mary Kay, Satin Hands exfoliating station to the chair massages provided by Sue Wage, Renaissance Spa, Massage Therapist – women were treated to a day of resilience- building activities. The icing on the day was the bra fittings and Smart & Sexy lingerie. We laughed each time a woman underestimated their bra size! We applauded each time she walked out beaming at the difference the right bra makes! They didn’t want the day to end!

They marveled that an event of this caliber was hosted in Roanoke Rapids. And they left feeling valued – smart and sexy!

Mind the Gap - Learning on the job

It’s not unusual for nonprofit professionals to operate out of their depth: on the one hand, they are constantly looking for innovative ways to deal with complex social issues that resist easy solutions. On the other, however, it might simply be the case that they lack appropriate knowledge or skills - in fact, there are circumstances where despite almost complete unpreparedness, one feels compelled (or even pressed) to get a certain job done. There’s just no one else to do it. One way of addressing these knowledge gaps is to learn by doing, to accept experience as one’s teacher. When you try your hand at something you’re prone to develop palpable intuition: one that is grounded on observations and lessons drawn from real cases. Over time, these lessons pile up and become interwoven, composing a sort of roadmap that can be used to drive sound decision-making. But while we agree that experience is indispensable for everyone’s professional development, it is certainly true that it is not the best teacher in every situation.

There are many reasons for that: one is that experience tends to most effectively teach through hardship, and learning what doesn’t work will not necessarily point you in the direction of what actually does. Similarly, negative experiences may prevent you from further exploring fertile - but highly nuanced - territory. Lastly, it goes without saying that learning from the experiences of others is what made humanity come this far: had every generation kept reinventing the wheel, we would not have invented the car. It is by recognizing where experience falls short as a teacher that we will be able to acknowledge where education (broadly defined as any form of enquiry that takes place outside of one’s realm of immediate experience) can be most effectively harnessed for professional development purposes. However, because education is broadly regarded as a positive thing, it’s tempting to overlook some vital considerations about how the learning process interacts with the day-to- day of a working professional, and with that of the organization itself. Here I devise a framework to help organizations effectively employ education for the betterment of their operations.

1. Identify the gap by articulating a claim of causality based on evidence

Sometimes there is a clear deficit in knowledge that needs to be addressed, often reaffirmed by accumulating negative experiences. Take the example of social media management. If an organization repeatedly fails to gain traction among its audiences despite having tried numerous approaches, it might then recognize a pressing need to qualify its staff through training. Often times, however, learning needs seem to be deeply entangled in the practice of one’s job, and are therefore less clearly acknowledged. An employee working directly with social media management may encounter difficulties on a daily basis which may be attributed to a personal lack of preparedness. In both cases there is a gap to be filled - what changes is its status within an organization. Defining such status is not as straightforward a process as one might think at first glance, and yet is vital for devising a productive framework that employs education for the purpose of improving not only the quality of one’s work, but the overall effectiveness of the organization’s operations.

Let’s return to the example of social media strategy. The inability to engage audiences may be composed of several different factors directly related to staff qualification, each requiring specific solutions. Perhaps the photos aren’t good enough, or blog articles are not well written, or the editorial schedule has been poorly designed. Perhaps the content you create is just not relevant to the audiences you target. It is evident that it would be inadequate to look for an answer to the general problem without first breaking it down into manageable pieces. Therefore, first you need to articulate how possible causes are related to the general problem and what evidence can be offered to support your claim, finally listing possible solutions to address such causes. For instance:

Lack of engagement on social media, possibly caused by bad photos (as evidenced by inferior engagement stats in photography-based posts on Facebook) can be solved by training staff in photography techniques.

By formulating a claim, you concretely relate problems arising within your organization with gaps in knowledge, and articulate how they may be attributed to specific people and current practices. Some problems are very easy to identify, such as in the example above; others, however, are entangled, and may span across different departments, involve several people, and consist of multiple gaps. This exercise of decomposing complex issues ensures that specific fractures are pinpointed, that conjectures are made based on evidence, and ultimately, that education/training is elected as the best avenue to solve the problem based on an informed perspective.

2. Consider the practicalities and share the stakes

Once the knowledge gaps are identified and consensus is reached that education or training is the appropriate way to address them, a set of practical questions arise: are your employers expected to invest their own time on pursuing training/education, or will they be allowed to carve out a couple of hours every week from their work schedule? What if it requires travel or periods of absence from the job? If monetary investment is required, will it be provided by the organization? It is important to be mindful of these practicalities even if the employee will not undergo a structured learning process, such as a course or training program. Education is widely available in today’s world and may come in different forms, all of which will require some sort of investment of the part of the learner. Situations where unstructured learning is sought are particularly prone to breed ruptures if not properly acknowledged and handled.

These and other practical aspects must be negotiated directly and openly between the people concerned, and may even open up interesting avenues for positive bonding between organization and individuals (an organization may be willing to underwrite training costs if the employee agrees to invest their own time - a mutually beneficial agreement that concretizes how each side’s compromises works toward the achievement of a collective goal). However, it may also be source of negative feelings (if, for example the employee feels it is unfair to be expected to invest their own time to learn something new in order to perform their job, or if the organization resents the employee for investing working hours in unapproved professional development). Clarity, openness, and agreement are therefore essential factors in defining the mechanism through which organization and employee will both commit, manage, and benefit from this gap-filling process. Moreover, this process should entail more than a simple fine tuning of logistics - it should be a moment where employee and organization agree to share the stakes in the learning process.

3. Do not relegate an employee’s learning process to the backstage

I contend that professional development and the performance of one’s job should not be split from one another, as dressing rooms are from stage. It is by investing in fluid congruence between them that organizations and individuals can benefit the most. The core assertion in simple: any given learning experience, by definition, should remove learners from their comfort zone and present them with ideas, concepts, and practices that challenge their current ideas, concepts, and practices. If not, it would be either superfluous or redundant. However, this process may uncover problems that directly relate to ideas, concepts, and practices currently established in their workplace that are unrelated to them and their work, resting under someone else’s auspices. When this happens, the solution to a problem will require deeper change in the organization.

If the organization is not ready or wiling to enact those changes, it then reaches a serious rupture. That is because education is not, in and of itself, the solution to any problem and organization faces, but rather an avenue to help point to concrete actions that, if enacted, can be reasonably expected to solve the problem at hand. The educated employee, having acquired the knowledge required to identify such actions, has moved away from the organization’s current practices, creating another gap. To close gap by moving the employee closer to the organization means, in effect, ignoring or suppressing the learning process they have undergone. Therefore, congruence between professional development and the performance of one’s job helps ensure that the learning process addresses the core issue it sets out to address and avoid fragmentation within the organization.

Quick case study

Imagine John - recently employed at an organization that sells low cost travel packages designed to provide young college graduates work experience at international nonprofits, John has been tasked with the management of online sales pipelines, with a clear directive of increasing lead conversion. John is himself fresh out of college and after grappling with the task at hand for a few months, notices very little improvement. After talking with the management team, it is decided that John will enroll in a course specifically designed to explore sales strategies for nonprofits. Practicalities have been discussed and agreed upon - everyone is onboard! Here’s the claim they came up with:

Low rates of lead conversion, possibly caused by John’s insufficient knowledge in sales (as evidenced by a few months on insufficient increase in conversion) can be solved by John taking a course in sales strategies.

John is excited - the course covers many interesting modules, one of which prompts him to think about the relationship between unsolicited emails, user responsiveness, and brand management. In this module, it is argued that mass unsolicited emails are cost-effective for the sender, for while the majority of users rarely engage with them, a few do - and despite representing a small percentage, these amass to sizable quantities due to the monumental number of emails sent. However, influential users that identify a certain organization with recurring spam emails are likely to defame it on social media, hurting its reputation and therefore hindering meaningful growth in the long run. In conclusion, despite some benefits that may arise in the short term, unsolicited emails should generally be avoided to ensure positive brand recognition.

John is now in a bit of a pickle - his supervisor had clearly instructed him to collect email addresses of recent college graduates from various listservs and send (unsolicited) promotional emails about their travel packages. John knows that a change in strategy at this point, while beneficial in the long run, is likely to reduce the amount of business done by the organization in the short term. In addition, John does not have the authority to redesign the sales strategy alone. When this issue was brought to the management team, the discussion was tabled. « We can’t afford to lose business » they said; « this strategy worked in the past, perhaps you’re just not doing it right yet ». It will be impossible for John to let go of what he learnt: he now understands how problematic spamming is and how it may hinder the organization’s future. He may actually even feel embarrassed that he himself has to engage with it. His learning process has been relegated to the dressing rooms, and John is expected to go back to the stage and continue his work as if nothing happened and demonstrate the improvement that was expected after having taken the course. However, his studies helped him articulate a different claim to address the original problem:

Low rates of lead conversion, possibly caused by inappropriate lead generation strategy (as evidenced by statistics and cases studied in class) can be solved by adopting a more focused lead generation strategy.

The solution to this claim is no longer education - it is a shift in the organization’s current sales practices. As we have seen, every claim whose solution is education is in fact the outer layer of another set of claims whose solution requires a change in execution. Often times, such change in execution will directly involve other people, interconnected routines, and ultimately call for a deeper reformulation in methods or systems than originally presumed necessary. Organizations must be ready to deal with this event should it be triggered by a learning process - odds are it will. Not doing so would not only defeat the purpose of using education to improve the quality of the organization’s work, but also fail to solve the original problem. 

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Pedro Branco is a Brazilian filmmaker and educator. Having previously worked as Director of International Partnerships for NYC-based nonprofit Filmmakers Without Borders, Pedro has recently stepped in as remix←→culture's Deputy Director. In addition to working in the nonprofit sector, Pedro maintains a strong presence in academia, having been a founding member of IRIS - the laboratory for visual anthropology at the University of Brasília, awarded the best laboratory of its kind across Brazil between 2010 and 2012. 

The Power of a Pantsuit: You Can Still Use It To Fight For Women

Guest Post by Sheri K. Cole, Career Wardrobe Executive Director

Were you one of the millions of women and men who pulled a pantsuit out of your closet last Tuesday to go vote? Perhaps you went to a resale store like The Wardrobe Boutique to buy a white suit to commemorate the suffrage movement while you cast your ballot for the first woman to be President. Even if you supported another candidate, did you smile as you stood in line with your neighbors dressed up for the occasion?

Do you remember how you felt walking into the polling place in your pantsuit?

Did you hold your head a little higher?

Did you speak a little clearer when asked your name by the poll worker?

Did you feel just a little bit better while going about your day?

You might be one of the few who still puts on a suit and tie or heels to go to work every day, or you might be someone who forgot that suit was hanging in the back of your closet. Surveys show that the majority of professionals are no longer required to wear a suit to work. 

Still, you can’t deny the power of a pantsuit.

As Executive Director of Career Wardrobe, a nonprofit organization that has been providing professional suits to women transitioning to work for 21 years, I followed the #pantsuit social media feed with a great interest because at Career Wardrobe, we understand the power of the pantsuit… we see it every day. 

It won’t change your skillset or your background, but the pantsuit we give to a job seeker at Career Wardrobe is a great equalizer. 

The pantsuit makes her feel more confident in her ability to ace a job interview. And it helps him forget about his background for a moment and believe that he deserves a supervisor position.

The pantsuit has power.

If you felt that power the last time you put on your professional suit, please consider how you can give back to organizations like Career Wardrobe who are working to empower unemployed people in our communities every day. 

Your donation of a suit doesn’t just outfit a person looking for work… it EMPOWERS them to hold their head higher, speak clearer, and see a future of independence.

Don’t have a suit to give or want to give more than a suit? There are so many ways to give back and do something powerful!

Shop! Every sale at The Wardrobe Boutique resale store supports Career Wardrobe’s programs.

Volunteer! Have a few hours a week to give back? Bring your friends, colleagues or children with you to sort clothing donations at one of our monthly drives in Fairmount, East Falls or the Mainline. Sign up to volunteer!

Donate Money! Organizations like Career Wardrobe don’t run on clothing alone. Donate $50 or more this holiday season in honor or memory of someone in your life. 

Learn more about our work and how you can support people in your community at www.CareerWardrobe.org. Not local to Philadelphia? Find a group like Career Wardrobe in your community at www.ACDNonline.org.  Click here to see a complete listing of ACDN Members.