Mike Greenleaf
Mike Greenleaf
Senior Talent Advisor, Paradigm Health
For Michael Greenleaf, recruiting started the same way it does for many people in the industry — unexpectedly.
Fresh out of business school nearly 15 years ago, Michael had uploaded his resume to Monster while exploring potential career opportunities. A recruiter from a staffing agency reached out, invited him in for an informational interview, and introduced him to an entry-level recruiting role.
That single conversation ended up shaping the direction of his entire career.
“I just kind of fell in love with it,” Michael shared.
What initially attracted him to recruiting was the entrepreneurial nature of the work and the opportunity to combine relationship-building, business strategy, and problem-solving into one career path.
He naturally gravitated toward technical recruiting and eventually transitioned from agency recruiting into the corporate talent acquisition world, where he continued expanding his expertise and leadership capabilities.
Over time, Michael developed a reputation for approaching recruiting not simply as a hiring function, but as a true business partnership — one focused on helping organizations grow through thoughtful talent strategy, operational alignment, and long-term workforce planning.
The Leaders Who Helped Shape His Career
Throughout his career, Michael has been heavily influenced by recruiting leaders who helped shape both his technical recruiting skills and his broader leadership philosophy.
One of the earliest and most impactful mentors in his journey was John Whalen, who introduced Michael to the fundamentals of recruiting during his agency recruiting days.
According to Michael, John helped build the foundation for everything that came afterward.
“He taught me the core ropes of what recruiting was,” Michael explained.
From candidate engagement to client development and relationship management, John showed Michael how to approach recruiting as both a strategic and people-focused profession.
Another major influence has been Josh Clisby, Michael’s current leader and someone he has worked with multiple times throughout his career.
Michael credits Josh with helping him transition from simply being a recruiter into becoming a true strategic business partner.
“He really taught me what it meant to be a true business partner to the business,” he shared.
That mindset — understanding hiring needs deeply, aligning recruiting strategy with organizational goals, and building trust with stakeholders — became a defining part of Michael’s own leadership style.
Michael also highlighted Sarah Hutchinson for her leadership presence and ability to operate large-scale recruiting organizations effectively.
At Salesforce, Sarah demonstrated how recruiting leaders can combine executive-level communication, operational excellence, and storytelling to elevate talent acquisition into a highly strategic business function.
Together, those experiences helped shape Michael’s balanced approach to recruiting leadership — one rooted equally in operational effectiveness, empathy, and strategic thinking.
How AI Is Reshaping Recruiting
Michael believes artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing nearly every stage of the recruiting lifecycle.
Over the past several years, he has watched recruiting technology rapidly evolve from simple automation tools into sophisticated AI-driven platforms capable of transforming sourcing, screening, interviewing, and talent intelligence.
In fact, Michael has personally worked on building AI-driven recruiting technology himself, including tools designed to review applicant resumes and support recruiting workflows.
“There’s just been so many different tools and technologies that have come out over the past couple years,” he explained.
According to Michael, one of the biggest shifts has occurred on the front end of recruiting — particularly around sourcing automation, AI agents, and large language models that can analyze candidate data at a much deeper level.
Those advancements are helping recruiters move faster, uncover stronger candidate matches, and reduce time spent on repetitive manual tasks.
He also pointed to the growing role AI now plays in the interview process itself.
Tools like interview recording platforms and AI-powered coaching systems are helping companies create more structured interview processes, improve interviewer alignment, and generate more consistent candidate evaluations.
At the same time, Michael recognizes that AI has introduced entirely new challenges into recruiting.
“It’s very easy to apply to jobs and leverage AI,” he noted.
As a result, talent teams are increasingly dealing with issues like fake candidates, AI-generated applications, and higher volumes of noise within applicant pipelines.
For Michael, the future of recruiting will require leaders who understand how to leverage AI effectively while still maintaining strong human judgment throughout the hiring process.
Michael’s Advice for Talent Leaders in 2026
As recruiting technology continues evolving, Michael encourages talent leaders to actively embrace innovation rather than resist it.
“I think for any talent leader, it’s embrace new technology,” he explained.
According to Michael, recruiting leaders who remain curious and adaptable will be best positioned to navigate the future of work successfully.
He believes AI tools will continue reshaping sourcing, automation, candidate evaluation, and recruiting operations at a rapid pace.
However, he also believes leaders must remain intentional about preserving the core responsibilities that make recruiting valuable in the first place.
For Michael, recruiting is still fundamentally about partnership, trust, and helping organizations make thoughtful hiring decisions.
While technology can improve efficiency and streamline workflows, it should never replace the strategic advisory role recruiters play inside organizations.
“I think it’s important to keep that business partner role at the core of what we do,” he shared.
Ultimately, Michael sees the future of recruiting as a balance between innovation and human connection — where AI enhances recruiting capabilities while recruiters continue serving as trusted advisors who help companies grow through great talent decisions.
That balanced, forward-thinking mindset is exactly what makes Michael Greenleaf a standout voice in modern talent acquisition — and a deserving member of the Talent 100.
