Coach Spotlight: Michelle King
Michelle King, HRuprise coach
Welcome to HRuprise’s Coach Spotlight! Each entry in this new series will highlight one of our expert HR coaches. We’ll get to know why they’re passionate about the work they do, what they wish they could change about the ways companies work, and how they continue to develop their professional and personal selves beyond the workplace.
Today, we’ll meet Michelle King. Michelle is a professionally certified coach, mindfulness instructor, author, speaker, chief diversity officer, and self-proclaimed HR rebel. She works with clients in the areas of strategic career planning, difficult conversations, negotiations, leadership, and mindfulness. Michelle is neurodivergent and specializes in working with neurodivergent clients (those with ADD, ADHD, who are on the Autism Spectrum, etc.). Her passion is helping people become more confident in their abilities and more courageous in their actions through coaching and personal development.
Why did you decide to become an independent HR coach with HRuprise?
I've spent years working in Human Resources feeling disappointed that we aren't able to do what should be the function of HR – helping people! HRuprise is giving me the opportunity to use my background and coaching skills to meet people where they are and to help them navigate their HR issues with support designed for them.
Tell us about one of the most meaningful moments in your career. What made it so special for you?
I tend to be a bit of a rebel and I love helping others with their own career planning. This led me to create a methodology that empowers clients by using strategic career planning strategies that help them to own their unique career path. I launched this method in 2020 and the response was so overwhelmingly positive that I have now taught over 1,000 people how to create a career strategy. The moment when you realize you have really captured the "magic sauce" that resonates with a large audience is truly empowering!
What matters to you most in your relationship with HRuprise clients?
That every client feels the time we spend together is meaningful and they walk away with actions they can take forward from the conversation. The most important piece of that is building trust. Ensuring my clients know that they can trust me to be there for them, without judgement, and to meet them where they are creates a space with the largest promise for change.
If you could change one thing about how companies work, what would it be?
One thing? I would change the entire structure of the job families/job roles. Rather than focusing on how to hire someone with experience to do a specific role, companies need to change their focus to how can we hire people with the skills we need now and in the future so that we have flexibility that ensures we can shift resources to changing business needs and create unique career paths. When companies create work around the financial structure of the organization rather than the needs of the organization, it limits innovation and creativity which are both essential skills for the future of work. We lose out on the opportunity for real growth, real communication, real innovation, and to utilize skills and talents that we may not know the employees have by limiting their job functions/roles.
What's something people would be surprised to learn about you?
That I am on the Autism spectrum. As someone who is diagnosed with Asperger’s, I face challenges working with others that are not present for neurotypical individuals. Neurodivergent thinking is highly beneficial for innovation, but the mechanisms that workplaces commonly use to socialize and communicate are often blockers for those who are neurodivergent.
Tell us about a book/movie/television show that changed how you thought about something.
Listening to the Serial podcast about the Adnan Syed case opened my eyes to how easily behaviors can be twisted into a narrative that does not depict the truth. I then watched the documentary, 13TH, which is about the disparate treatment of Black people in the justice system. That led me to learn more about the work of the Innocence Project. They highlight court cases that were overturned due to evidence that showed a person was innocent. The inequality in our justice system is why I decided to become a mindfulness instructor for the Prison Mindfulness Institute.
What do you want to be known for?
I’d like to be known as someone who empowers others to find and use their voice courageously in their own lives.
What is one thing you're currently working on in your own development?
I am currently completing an 8-week course on MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and am on the path to becoming a teacher. Deepening my own practice and helping others to find tools to manage stress is key to the work I want to contribute to the world. I’m also finishing my Masters degree in Learning Design and Technologies and will be pursuing my EdD in Leadership and Innovation.
What's your favorite thing to do when you're not helping employees as an HRuprise coach?
Gardening, growing vegetables, and cooking are some of my favorite things to do. I am a stained glass and mosaic artist and spend my free time pursuing my art.
Where can people find you?
Follow me at the links below!
WANT TO WORK WITH MICHELLE?
CLICK HERE to book Michelle for HR coaching.
