Michele Matt: Guiding Leaders to Create Positive Change and Unlock Their Full Potential

In the world of leadership development and strategy, Michele Matt is a trailblazer who has touched countless lives. As an author, keynote speaker, facilitator, and consultant, her unique approach has inspired individuals from all walks of life to achieve their goals and create positive change.

Her passion for coaching and leadership development was inspired by her mother, a dedicated school teacher. Witnessing firsthand the transformative impact her mother had on the lives of children, Michele was driven to pursue a similar path and inspire individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

After college, Michele started her career in computer programming, where she found fulfillment in solving complex problems through technology. However, it was her mentor, Dan Schneider, who recognized her potential to connect with people and encouraged her to pursue a degree in business administration management. This led her to explore the field of human resource development in the early 1980s, a passion she has pursued for over 30 years.

In 1991, Michele launched her own business, focused on inspiring people with practical solutions for positive change. Her services included strategic planning, leadership development, writing books and training videos, and other related offerings. Michele's unique niche in this area caught the attention of the JER HR Group team, who are experts in HR consulting, compensation evaluation, and organizational development. Together, they are able to provide clients of all sizes and industries with a more comprehensive solution to their needs.

At the heart of Michele's success lies her ability to connect with individuals and organizations alike and inspire them to reach their full potential. Her philosophy centers around the belief that people are the lifeblood of any organization and that their abilities ultimately determine its success. With this guiding principle in mind, Michele has made it her mission to help individuals unlock their full potential in any position, ultimately changing the face of leadership and making a real difference in the world.

To support people on their personal development journey, Michele has recently created the Live Up Challenge, a six-part program to help busy people create joy and balance in their life's journey. Through self-assessments, exercises, and goal-setting, she inspires people to:

• TuneUP Negativity
• SpeakUP Expectations
• ChangeUP Bad Habits
• CleanUP Waste
• SetUP New Routines

The sixth part is a CheckUP process to hold individuals and groups accountable for achieving their professional and personal goals.

In her first book, Attitude: The Choice is Yours, Michele empowers readers to take control of their lives by controlling their attitudes. Through an interactive and fun read, readers can evaluate themselves and their surroundings, learn attitude adjustment techniques, and create a positive mindset that can lead to personal and professional success.

The book's five quick chapters cover specific concepts, such as tune-in to happiness, guiding readers to understand what brings them happiness and how they can create it themselves. Michele emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's own happiness and applying the principles learned in the book to personal and professional situations.

Her signature talk, Staying UP in an Upside-Down World, draws inspiration from the book. This uplifting and motivational presentation explores how to turn life's challenges into opportunities. Michele's keynote has become a highly sought-after session at conferences and events, with attendees raving about its effectiveness. 

Through another program called The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team, based on Patrick Lencioni's best-selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, she helps clients build cohesive teams that are aligned, engaged, and motivated to achieve their goals . This program includes assessments of individual team members' roles and responsibilities, fostering an environment of vulnerability and authenticity where team members can comfortably learn and grow. Through training, planning, and discussion, Michele guides teams toward achieving their goals and helps them become the best version of themselves for the benefit of the team.

Her approach to team building involves identifying their purpose statement and individual strengths through assessments. But she goes a step further by helping teams identify their stretch behaviors, which are areas that may be challenging but can contribute to the team's overall success. For instance, Michele shares her personal experience of struggling with patience as an example of a stretch behavior. Through this process, teams gain a better understanding of themselves and their colleagues, which enables them to work more efficiently and effectively together with clear action plans and commitments.

Michele stresses the importance of taking things one day at a time and setting small goals to gradually progress towards bigger ones. Seeking guidance from those who have tried and potentially failed in similar endeavors is also crucial, as it can provide a realistic understanding of the challenges involved.