Michael J. Metts is the founder of Leading Like You, which is dedicated to bringing a new perspective on leadership to the business world. Rather than treating leadership as something tied to management or hierarchy, Michael works to equip anyone, in any role, to lead other people toward better collaboration and outcomes. He is an author, maker, and teacher who has done dozens of workshops and speaking engagements all over the world. He lives with his family on the south side of Chicago.

Past workshops and talks

  • UX writing fundamentals | 8-hour workshop | Rosenfeld Media, 2020, virtual

  • Voice and tone for interfaces | Half-day workshop | UX Lisbon 2019, Lisbon, Portugal

  • The conversation of UI: Unpacking voice and tone for interfaces | Half-day workshop with Andy Welfle | Confab Central 2019, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • UX writing fundamentals | 2-day workshop with Andy Welfle | March 11-12, 2019 | Singapore

  • The conversation of UI: Unpacking voice and tone for interfaces | Half-day workshop with Andy Welfle | Confab Central 2018, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • The conversation of UI: Unpacking voice and tone for interfaces | Half-day workshop with Andy Welfle | Confab Intensive 2017, Denver, Colorado

  • Beyond deliverables: Bringing content strategy to life | 35-minute talk | CS Forum 2016, Melbourne, Australia

  • What's your software saying? Designing interfaces with language | Half-day workshop with Andy Welfle | Confab Intensive 2016, Seattle, Washington

  • Visual tools for content planning and production | Half-day workshop with Scott Kubie | Confab Intensive 2016, Seattle, Washington

  • Designing with words: Content strategy in the design process | 30-minute talk with Lauren Lucchese | April 27, 2016 | The Chicago Content Strategists meetup, Chicago, Illinois

  • Practical content strategy | Half-day workshop with Scott Kubie | IA Summit 2016, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Use tactical goal-setting to design the right thing | 40-minute hands-on session | Midwest UX 2015, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Visual tools for content planning and production | Half-day workshop with Scott Kubie | Confab Intensive 2015, Portland, Oregon

  • Take my money: Building trust during transactions | 50-minute talk | Confab Central 2015, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Designing delightful transactions | 20-minute talk | World IA Day 2015, Des Moines, Iowa

  • Visual tools for content planning and production | Half-day workshop with Scott Kubie | MinneWebCon 2015, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • The visual content strategist | 30-minute talk | The Chicago Content Strategists meetup, Chicago, Illinois

  • Visual tools for content planning and production | Full-day workshop with Scott Kubie | Midwest UX 2014, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • The visual content strategist | 5-minute lightning talk | Confab Central 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

“Michael has an innate sense of the appropriate; he builds on that foundation with good field research, seeking to continue educating himself and others.”

— Andrea Anibal, Designer