Sanger Leadership Center hosts Leadership Dialogues

The Ross School of Business’ Sanger Leadership Center hosted its fall 2024 Leadership Dialogues panel discussion on Sept. 13. Sue Ashford, Michael & Susan Jandernoa professor in management and organizations, interviewed Ross alumni André Branch, senior vice president and general manager of MAC Cosmetics, and Jamie Rosen, former director of entertainment and brand marketing at Hasbro.

The discussion focused on lessons in leadership development and personal growth, with Branch and Rosen sharing insights from their extensive careers in the business world. During the panel, Branch stressed the importance of taking ownership of one’s leadership journey.

“Owning your leadership journey is about taking responsibility for your own development and progression, along with your career, both professionally and personally,” Branch said. “What I’ve seen over my lifetime is, when we come out of these kinds of institutions, we go to companies, and we expect the company to be responsible for that. I can tell you that even with the best intentions, the company cannot set you up for success over the long term. You always have to be thinking ‘What’s important to me personally, where do I want to go?’”

Rosen said she believes including a variety of perspectives in decision-making is a mark of an effective leader. She spoke about her experiences at Hasbro organizing yearly events that feature organizations like Sesame Street Live for Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.

“I needed to figure out, ‘How can we do something different this time to keep ticking sales up and make it exciting?’” Rosen said. “I said, ‘Let’s bring in this person from accounting and this person who does the coding for our emails.’ Using my leadership skills and knowing that good ideas could come from anywhere, we were able to spitball some new campaign ideas and increase revenue 17% year-over-year from the previous engagement.”

Rosen also spoke about how she has taken advantage of her network to accomplish her goals. Rosen said she used her network while working at advertising agency Entertainment One to create an advertising campaign for the children’s show Peppa Pig in New York. 

“Peppa was traveling to the States, specifically New York, for the first time on the TV show,” Rosen said. “I had experience doing mobile media activations doing marketing for Broadway shows, so I was able to tap into my network. I went to my former advertising agency and some vendor partners that I used to do local New York City marketing with, and I was able to tap into big bus tours. We were able to have a bright pink Peppa bus running around Manhattan that served as this billboard for the brand.”

Rosen said she believes networking and maintaining professional relationships over time is highly important for all students and young professionals.

“I made sure to remain close with my former colleagues and catch up with them whenever possible,” Rosen said. “That way, when I did need them, I hadn’t burned any bridges, and I was able to say, ‘Can you connect me with this person, this family member?’ You’d be surprised: Even though I switched industries, everyone is connected. Everyone knows everyone. It’s really important to know that if someone comes to you for help, help them. You’ll never know how it’s going to come back — the power of reciprocity.”

Branch said he recommends that people should approach networking without expecting anything in return.

“The very first rule in networking is, you’re not there to get anything from anybody,” Branch said. “You’re there to offer yourself to them. You’re planting seeds, and you have no idea where it’s going to go, but at some point it may come back and benefit you. You need to go into networking with the notion ‘I’m not going to get anything from this. I’m just looking to help as many people as I can.’”

The panelists also addressed common challenges faced by leaders. Branch cautioned against burnout and stressed the importance of finding a sustainable work-life balance.

“(Work-life balance) doesn’t mean you work 40 hours a week, and then spend 40 hours working when you get home,” Branch said. “You have to find the right level of balance for your application that makes sense and what works for the job.” 

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Rosen said she encourages Business students to develop strong relationships with students beyond their cohort.

“It’s important to learn about other classmates, not just in your section, but in other sections, and take advantage of everyone in the Business School, outside the Business School, whatever school you might be dual majoring in or have a minor in,” Rosen said. “Make sure that you are nurturing relationships at the student level, because when you graduate, you’re not going to see these people every day anymore. Luckily, we have social media and other platforms like LinkedIn that help you stay in touch.”

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Business senior Danielle Cubitt said she appreciated how Rosen combined her personal and professional interests to advance her career.

“One of the biggest things (Rosen) said was how she joined her professional interest with her passions,” Cubitt said. “She was talking about how her professional passion was more on the marketing side, but she loved Broadway musicals, so one of her first jobs was going into marketing for Broadway musicals because she really enjoyed it.”

Cubitt said despite being one of the few undergraduate students at the event compared to many more MBA students, she still appreciated learning from career professionals.

“It’s always interesting to hear from people who are that far into their careers, especially when they came from the same place, like Ross or Ann Arbor,” Cubitt said. “Seeing what they ended up doing with the same degree that we’re getting is always inspiring.”

Daily Staff Reporter Thomas Gala-Garza can be reached at tmgala@umich.edu.

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