Karen Stafford is the Arizona President of Employers Council. Karen has been with Employers Council since 2004, a local, nonprofit organization that provides employers with resources focused on employment law and human resources. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and also currently serves on the faculty of the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Learn more about Karen…
Hometown: Euclid, Ohio
First job: Cutting grass in the neighborhood, followed by getting into the business world and never looking back!
Favorite AZ restaurant: At the moment, it is POMO Pizzeria in Scottsdale. They have a Spaghetti Carbonara that tastes just like it was made at one of our favorite restaurants in Rome! Any time we get homesick for great Italian food, we head to POMO!
Person who has impacted your life the most: There have been many. My husband Grey, for one. We’ve been together for more than 30 years and oh the fun we have had, things we have accomplished and places we have been! My mom and my mother-in-law, come next. Both women have overcome incredible circumstances, sacrificed much, and taught me and those around them that perseverance, faith, and love does indeed win in the end. My sister and my best friend Kim come to mind as well. Both have been wonderful models of balancing a strong sense of independence and compassion.
Your biggest accomplishment in your eyes: Every time I hear from a colleague, one of my students, or friends and family, that they took my coaching, guidance, or advice to heart and it helped, I feel like I made a difference. To know I have helped them be better, more fulfilled, or successful in some way makes my day!
The biggest obstacle you have overcome: Letting others define what success looks like for me, personally. There have been times, I have forgotten this and it can be so limiting by allowing self-doubt and unproductive comparison to others creep in and grow. Standing firm in the belief that if you decide to do something, pooling your resources, shoring up support and research, and going for it, has served me well every time!
Someone who inspires you: I might be a little different from most in that I find myself inspired by stories of other’s resilience, faith, and kindness. Young, old, famous, or not, it doesn’t matter as much to me who is involved, rather it is what I learn from them and their example that sticks with me.
Favorite quote: “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” – Emerson
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: I came up through the ranks with a career in HR and Organizational Development, and have been fortunate to lead various teams along the way. With that background, it was a natural fit to move into more of a business development and leadership role for our organization since HR, Employment Law and Organizational Development is at the heart of what we do. If you have a desire to impact, guide, and support an entire organization, there is no better place to do that than HR, employment law and organizational development. Learn everything you can about your organization’s vision, mission, values as well as systems and processes. Understand key results and desired outcomes of senior leadership. Know how money flows through the organization. Understanding human behavior and team dynamics are also important. I like to say that we are all “works in progress” so developing your own emotional intelligence will support your success and assist in encouraging others to do so as well. After all, at the end of the day, employees will remember how they felt with you as their leader, not exactly what you said or did (based on one of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes). Balancing the needs of the business, the team, and the individual such that performance and workplace experience are maximized is a passion for me. If you share that passion, this just might be a great career path for you!
What you think makes someone fabulous: Building others up by treating them with kindness, consideration, respect, positivity, and a great sense of both curiosity and humor.
