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I help senior leaders and their teams increase their capacity to navigate complexity.

Hello.

I’m a thought partner …an advisor …a coach …a complexity wrangler. For more than 20 years I’ve helped leaders hone the skills and thinking needed to bring out the best in themselves and their teams as they navigate the obscurity of an increasingly changing, turbulent, and uncertain environment. My work is guided by the belief that you can lead and live well amidst complexity.

My human resources (HR) career spans industries including technology (Internet, software, SaaS), life sciences, government, and higher education. I lead talent acquisition at a global S&P 500 veterinary diagnostics and software company, driving strategy and operations across the full lifecycle to attract, engage, and retain talent across regions, business lines, and functions. My previous roles include HR business partner leader, advising executives on enterprise and LOB talent strategies, and leadership within HR centers of excellence, where I led initiatives that improved team effectiveness, boosted engagement, and delivered sustained business results.

In addition to my corporate experience, in 2003, I established and successfully grew a HR / leadership consulting firm where I built and led a team of <10 regular and contract employees. Designing and implementing talent solutions for organizations like Toyota Motor Sales, Los Angeles Unified School District, Boeing, CareerBuilder, Sodexo, KPMG, Progressive Insurance, BD Life Sciences, Pfizer, and New Jersey Transit, taught me the HR values drivers that enable growth and profitability. By 2017, I was ready for new challenges, so made the deliberate decision to return to my corporate career, bringing with me an enriched perspective from my time as a business owner, executive coach, and consultant.

I hold degrees in English (BA), Organization Development (MA), and Human Development (PhD), using that background to bring theoretical knowledge to life in the everyday practice of leadership, both inside and outside of the workplace. I’m also trained as a professional coach through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI).

Outside of my work and my research, I love working on home improvement projects, “reading” books during walks with my rescue pup, and delighting in a life well lived with friends and family.

My Background

I study how and when social identity and organizational complexity affect HR / talent practices like assessment, performance, leadership, and succession. My current reseach centers on:

  • Diverse Leadership: I'm interested in when, how, and why leaders make use of their complex, intersectional social identities and how those choices affect individual outcomes (e.g., career decisions, leader performance) and organizational outcomes (e.g., team performance, workplace inclusion).

  • Paradox and Complexity Thinking: I’m also curious about the nature of paradox in organizations and the leadership mindset needed to hold multiple, conflicting truths and navigate the tension of opposites.

My Research

I am not currently accepting new 1:1 coaching clients or research projects. Please fill in the form below to be alerted when availability opens in 2025.

Work With Me

Get in touch.

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Headshot image of Michele Richardson wearing navy blazer