Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of The 11 Laws of Likability (AMACOM), is the founder of Executive Essentials, a training company that provides communications and leadership programs, as well as executive coaching services. Michelle believes real relationships lead to real results and specializes in teaching people how to communicate to connect. She has delivered seminars internationally for Fortune 500 companies, universities, high schools, and nonprofit organizations including JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Columbia Business School, MetLife, Sony Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Museum of Modern Art. Michelle is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and serves on the faculty of the American Management Association.
Michelle’s has appeared on Fox 5’s Good Day NY, the Gayle King Show, the John Tesh radio show, and over 25 other radio stations around the country. She has been quoted in the New York Times, the Star Ledger, Working Mother magazine, Real Simple magazine, and US News & World Report, and on MSNBC.com and Monster.com among others. Her book, articles, quizzes, and videos have been featured on CNN, Forbes, About.com, AOL, and Entrepreneur.com.
Michelle spent 10 years in finance, beginning her career as a CPA in Arthur Andersen’s audit practice, later joining Primedia as a mergers and acquisitions analyst. Her experience ranges from venture capital to hedge funds and includes positions as a financial strategist with Deloitte Consulting, a hedge fund investment adviser for HypoVereins Bank, and a director of communications at Investor Analytics, an alternative asset risk management firm.
Michelle is involved in extensive volunteer and community advocacy. She has developed a youth curriculum called Leadership Essentials that provides workshop and assembly programs. Having already reached over 1,000 teens, it is her mission to bring these critical communication and life skills to high-school students to increase their likelihood of success. As an animal advocate, she has organized multiple benefits to raise awareness and donations for domestic and exotic animal rescue.
She received her BS, summa cum laude, in accounting and communications from Lehigh University; her MBA, with honors, from Columbia Business School; and her coaching certification from the Institute for Professional Empowerment Coaching. She is accredited by the International Coaching Federation. Michelle is certified in numerous assessment tools, including Myers Briggs (MBTI), Lominger Voices 360, Whole Brain (NBI), Social Styles, Thomas Kikman (TKI), and Insights Inventory. Michelle is a member of the National Speakers Association, and Executive Essentials is a certified Women Business Enterprise.
Michelle lives in South Orange, New Jersey, with her husband and two sons.