About Michele
Meet Michele Lance
Leadership Coach for Successful Women Ready for What's Next
I'm Michele Lance, a former Fortune 20 Director with 20+ years in corporate leadership. For years, I sat in the talent reviews where promotion decisions were made.
Here's what I learned in that room: talented women rarely get passed over for lack of ability. They get passed over because they're still leading the way that got them promoted the first time, and hoping their results will speak for them.
Today, I help successful women get ready, get recognized, and get considered for what's next.
My Path
My career didn't start in a boardroom.
- Inventory Specialist
- Supervisor
- Store Manager
- District Manager
- Director
I started as an inventory specialist, and from day one I said out loud that I wanted to lead at the top one day. A leader above my boss noticed, and within a year I was a supervisor. From there, I worked my way up: store manager, district manager, and director. It wasn't a straight climb. But I learned early that you never know who is watching.
What I Built
Of participants in the development program I created were promoted or stepped up their performance.
District Managers led across as many as six states, through mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations.
Turned around a channel with nowhere to go but up, with ideas rolled out across the region.
How I Lead
If things went wrong, it was on me. If things went well, the praise went to my team.
Early in my career, I didn't have a mentor inside my company, so I found them outside it. As I moved up, I made a point of mentoring women outside my own team. Coaching is the work I was doing all along.
Outside of Work
When I'm not coaching, you'll find me around a card table with family and friends (I play to win), planning my next trip, or finding a great new restaurant.
She has a way to always bring me back to what is best for me, not what is suitable.