Ilene Marcus,  Founder and CEO

Ilene Marcus is a dynamic results-driven leader with expertise in complex workplaces from Government, tech pioneers, to stalwart large non-profit organizations, healthcare, academia, product driven small businesses, summer camps and the leading CEO organization Vistage International. Ilene has been on the front-lines and has seen it all. Under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Ilene spearheaded NYC’s historic welfare reform impacting millions of dollars and managing 10,000 people. With two Masters Degrees from Columbia University in Social Work and Public Administration, Ilene has a unique skill set.  She taught as Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University for 10 years and is currently Adjunct Faculty at Silberman School of Social Work.  

Ilene now works with Executive teams to tackle challenges created by discontinuity in policy and economic shifts. Through her thought provoking presentations, speeches and direct mentoring,  aligned workplaces are created where employees thrive and the business success benefits the entire community. Ilene knows how to translate her deep skill set to build workplaces where purpose, urgency, relevance, inspiration, kindness and accomplishment define the culture.

Ilene’s Beliefs

Living her beliefs, Ilene is involved in neighborhood-based charities, local groups and committees. Ilene has never met an underdog she didn’t fight for and provides technical advice and assistance to missions based organizations. Ilene is never too tired or too jaded to roll up her sleeves,  get done what needs to get done, and be part of helping those in need.

Ilene’s Inspiration

Through the many twists and turns of Ilene’s career there has been one constant, an ability to create highly productive teams and purposeful driven workplaces.

After years of working in social services, Ilene has spent the last three years coaching leaders on business growth. Learned early in life, the quickest route out of poverty is to get and keep a job. Employers need growing companies to be able to invest in staff. Growing companies need productive employees.

Annoying Ilene

As a star performer,  Ilene was annoying to manage and over her career has been managed and has managed many annoying people. In an environment where employees are competent, moral and ethical and bring real value; all managers are challenged to cope with numerous social skill sets and employee styles and eccentricities that can annoy to no end. Managing annoying people is relevant to keeping the work on focus and the workplace aligned for success.

Ilene’s Style

Witty, insightful, always on point with serious content, Ilene is easy to relate to, motivational, very casual and funny. Through both her tone and content of her speaking and writing, Ilene is relatable to all levels of workers. Ilene’s authentic advice plays out well in a real working environment. Her approachability makes the information she imparts even more memorable and easy to digest.

Listening to Ilene speak, reading her blog, following her social media or connecting in a face-to-face meeting, her authenticity is apparent. You are sitting down with a trusted colleague to discuss a thorny issue that has been difficult to discuss with anyone. Ilene easily passes on what she has learned, with pin point relevance to your situation and easy action steps that will change your workplace dynamics.