SHSMD’s Leadership Excellence award honors outstanding leaders who have contributed to the field of health care strategy. Recipients are individuals who are truly exemplars of the strategy professions and can demonstrate a career of stellar achievement.
Join Rose Glenn, a 2022 leadership excellence awardee, as she discusses her career and some of her most memorable moments that helped her get to where she is today.
Selected Podcast
SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award Highlight – Rose Glenn
Featured Speaker:
Rose is past president of the board of the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America. She was awarded her bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. She received her master’s degree in strategic public relations from George Washington University in 2011, graduating with honors as a valedictorian. She is on the faculty of the University of Michigan Department of Communication and Media.
Rose Glenn
Rose Glenn is the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer for Michigan Medicine, which includes one of the nation's premier AMCs, University of Michigan Health, and the top-ranked University of Michigan Medical School. She has had a health care career spanning more than 35 years, with extensive experience in large, complex systems.Rose is past president of the board of the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development and is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America. She was awarded her bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. She received her master’s degree in strategic public relations from George Washington University in 2011, graduating with honors as a valedictorian. She is on the faculty of the University of Michigan Department of Communication and Media.
Transcription:
SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award Highlight – Rose Glenn
Bill Klaproth (host): This is a special podcast produced onsite at SHSMD Connections 2022 Annual Conference as we talk with keynote speakers and session leaders and awardees, if you will, from the show floor. I'm Bill Klaproth. With me is Rose Glenn, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Michigan Medicine. Rose, welcome.
Rose Glenn: It is so nice to be here, Bill. Thanks so much.
Bill Klaproth (host): It is so nice to be here with a Leadership Excellence Award recipient. Congratulations.
Rose Glenn: Thank you. I am so thrilled.
Bill Klaproth (host): I bet. So how did you get here? What was your path to becoming a Leadership Excellence Award recipient?
Rose Glenn: Other than being really old, I've had the great fortune of being in leadership roles for a long time. And I think the pathway to this award was really all of the learning and growing and developing that I did through multiple decades. I have had wonderful mentors, and these weren't formal mentors for the most part. These were women and men who I admired and learned from, or they were people who I didn't think were doing an awesome job and I still learned from them. And I just think that is one of the really important factors as you grow and develop, is you look at other people and say, you know, "Is their style something you feel good about?"
I had one incredible, incredible leader, Nancy Schlichting. Nancy was my CEO at Henry Ford Health. She was there for 16 years, overlapping with me. And I learned so much from her. She led with respect and empathy and love, actually. And she was ubercompetent and outcomes-oriented. And she proved to me you could be all of those strong things and still be a caring person who puts people first. And that was her big lesson.
Bill Klaproth (host): I love that answer. I love the words you used, respect, empathy, love when talking about Nancy. You also talked about learning, growing, developing. What was most important to you when it came to learning and growing and developing? What was really instrumental in that process?
Rose Glenn: I think it was all about how you create high functioning teams, because everything I have accomplished has been done with a team. And the teams that I created, I developed, I used those characteristics I had learned. It wasn't ever an authoritative micromanager-type of leadership. It was a leadership that really try to leverage people's talents, enjoys what they really loved to do and, again, showing that empathy and flexibility and respect to my team members.
And then, you know, with the pandemic, this whole idea of flexibility has become so very important. So even to this day, I have surveyed my team members post-pandemic. Well, it's not really post-pandemic, but I'm following the time away where we were all working remotely. And I said, "What do you guys want to do? Do you want to come back full time? Do you want to come back hybrid?" And we did a hybrid pilot for 90 days and we re-surveyed and everybody said, "Nope. We don't want to come in two days a week because those two days might be spent in front of a computer doing Zoom meetings. We want to come in a very intentional way." So we've created a new model called intentional hybrid. And we bring people back for specific meetings and educational opportunities and retreats. And we do it in a way where we try to build culture at the same time as getting our work done.
Bill Klaproth (host): I love that intentional hybrid. That's good. And you're right, nobody likes an authoritative micromanaging boss, so great of you to to think, "We're not going to do that and we're going to offer flexibility" and show empathy and respect is the words that you used. So I'm curious, Rose, you're very established. You're a Leadership Excellence Award recipient. You've achieved so much in your career. What's your passion? What drives you to achieve?
Rose Glenn: You know, I have been so fortunate that I love what I do, and I believe that it brings me great joy. And so, I instilled that in every work environment. I tell folks if they're not experiencing joy at work, let's talk about whether they want to stay here or go somewhere else because you have to spend so many hours of your life at work. If you're not experiencing joy there, it's going to impact your entire personal life. And so, I really believe you have to find joy at work. And I was so fortunate at a young age to get into a profession that I absolutely love.
Bill Klaproth (host): That's interesting that you might counsel people if, you know, they're not finding joy in what they do, that, "Hey, maybe this isn't for you. Let's maybe help you find something that is because I care about you as a human being. Not just me potentially losing a worker. I want you in your life to be happy and find joy in whatever that is. Maybe this isn't it. Let me help you do that." That's very caring. That is very empathetic.
Rose Glenn: Absolutely. I don't want people to stay in a role where they're not satisfied and not having fun. And so, I have counseled people and sometimes they do stay and they are able to do something a little different and they're getting that joy. Gallup says that people should be able to do what they are really good at at least once a day in their jobs. It's really sometimes like a puzzle piece and making sure people are in the right job, getting to do what they're great at, because usually that's part of what brings you joy.
Bill Klaproth (host): Absolutely. So if I worked at an ice cream factory as an ice cream taster, I would find total joy every day, Rose.
Rose Glenn: I love that.
Bill Klaproth (host): That would be great. Oh, my goodness. So let's talk about SHSMD a little bit and what that has meant to you in your career and what SHSMD means to the industry as a whole, as far as raising our leaders up.
Rose Glenn: Everyone that is in our profession in the healthcare industry, in one of the strategy disciplines, really needs to bookmark on their phone, on their laptop the SHSMD website, because it is such a resource. I have referred so many people who want to learn about a certain part of communications or marketing. I've referred them to webinars on the website. I've referred them to online classes. It is a wealth of information. Sometimes when you're feeling a little isolated and you're not sure what to do, you have SHSMD educational opportunities that you can tap into. But it's so much more than that. So many people that I've met have been advisors to me and coaches and resources. They've allowed me to benchmark against what they're doing. And so the whole networking opportunity has been awesome.
And I also believe it allows you to give back. And so being part SHSMD mentoring is really important to me. And so, I have been part of the program and I've now mentored multiple young women. I'm happy to mentor multiple men as well. But they happen to have been young women. And one of them was a Rising Star awardee this year. And so that brings me a lot of joy too and I'm going to continue to mentor.
Bill Klaproth (host): I can tell. So obviously, you've had great mentors in your career, and now you are mentoring the next generation of healthcare marketers.
Rose Glenn: I really believe that's part of giving back and I love to do it so much that I'm also teaching at the University of Michigan and the young people I teach in my class, strategic communication in healthcare organizations, I'm hoping I can instill a passion or drive to join the industry and be in our field and contribute to it.
Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, absolutely. Well, the joy and the passion that you have certainly easily comes through. There's no question about that. Okay. Last question, Rose. I could talk to you forever. You're just so great to talk to and a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. For someone listening to this who wants to achieve what you've achieved and looks at your career path, what are some steps or tips you would give to the person coming up behind you, the next generation?
Rose Glenn: I would say follow your heart with regards to what you're interested in and learn, learn, learn. And learning is not just webinars or book learning, but again, develop mentors where you can ask questions and get a better understanding of how people have done what you would like to do in the future. Enter a formal mentoring program and do a lot of listening. Through listening, you can see people's styles and how they influence and how they engage. And it's part of the emotional intelligence of how can I make my agenda effective and how can I make something that is a dream right now a reality? So yes, I highly recommend setting a path for what you want to accomplish and then taking baby steps toward that each and every day almost. You know, setting goals, taking risks, smart risks, will get you on the leadership path that you want to be on.
Bill Klaproth (host): Smart risks, I like that. Such great information, Rose. It's been a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much for your time and congrats being a Leadership Excellence Award recipient. Congrats and thanks for stopping by our podcast booth at SHSMD Connections 2022.
Rose Glenn: Thank you so much, Bill. It was a pleasure.
Bill Klaproth (host): And make sure you sign up for this year's SHSMD'S Virtual Conference, October 12th, 2022 plus on-demand through the end of the year. The virtual conference will feature access to 50 plus sessions recorded from the September in-person annual conference plus all new live sessions. Just go to shsmd.org. That's shsmd.org/virtual to learn more and to get registered. And please join us at the next SHSMD Connections Annual Conference, September 2023 in Chicago. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and find access to our full podcast library at shsmd.org/podcasts. I'm Bill Klaproth. As always, thanks for listening.
SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award Highlight – Rose Glenn
Bill Klaproth (host): This is a special podcast produced onsite at SHSMD Connections 2022 Annual Conference as we talk with keynote speakers and session leaders and awardees, if you will, from the show floor. I'm Bill Klaproth. With me is Rose Glenn, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Michigan Medicine. Rose, welcome.
Rose Glenn: It is so nice to be here, Bill. Thanks so much.
Bill Klaproth (host): It is so nice to be here with a Leadership Excellence Award recipient. Congratulations.
Rose Glenn: Thank you. I am so thrilled.
Bill Klaproth (host): I bet. So how did you get here? What was your path to becoming a Leadership Excellence Award recipient?
Rose Glenn: Other than being really old, I've had the great fortune of being in leadership roles for a long time. And I think the pathway to this award was really all of the learning and growing and developing that I did through multiple decades. I have had wonderful mentors, and these weren't formal mentors for the most part. These were women and men who I admired and learned from, or they were people who I didn't think were doing an awesome job and I still learned from them. And I just think that is one of the really important factors as you grow and develop, is you look at other people and say, you know, "Is their style something you feel good about?"
I had one incredible, incredible leader, Nancy Schlichting. Nancy was my CEO at Henry Ford Health. She was there for 16 years, overlapping with me. And I learned so much from her. She led with respect and empathy and love, actually. And she was ubercompetent and outcomes-oriented. And she proved to me you could be all of those strong things and still be a caring person who puts people first. And that was her big lesson.
Bill Klaproth (host): I love that answer. I love the words you used, respect, empathy, love when talking about Nancy. You also talked about learning, growing, developing. What was most important to you when it came to learning and growing and developing? What was really instrumental in that process?
Rose Glenn: I think it was all about how you create high functioning teams, because everything I have accomplished has been done with a team. And the teams that I created, I developed, I used those characteristics I had learned. It wasn't ever an authoritative micromanager-type of leadership. It was a leadership that really try to leverage people's talents, enjoys what they really loved to do and, again, showing that empathy and flexibility and respect to my team members.
And then, you know, with the pandemic, this whole idea of flexibility has become so very important. So even to this day, I have surveyed my team members post-pandemic. Well, it's not really post-pandemic, but I'm following the time away where we were all working remotely. And I said, "What do you guys want to do? Do you want to come back full time? Do you want to come back hybrid?" And we did a hybrid pilot for 90 days and we re-surveyed and everybody said, "Nope. We don't want to come in two days a week because those two days might be spent in front of a computer doing Zoom meetings. We want to come in a very intentional way." So we've created a new model called intentional hybrid. And we bring people back for specific meetings and educational opportunities and retreats. And we do it in a way where we try to build culture at the same time as getting our work done.
Bill Klaproth (host): I love that intentional hybrid. That's good. And you're right, nobody likes an authoritative micromanaging boss, so great of you to to think, "We're not going to do that and we're going to offer flexibility" and show empathy and respect is the words that you used. So I'm curious, Rose, you're very established. You're a Leadership Excellence Award recipient. You've achieved so much in your career. What's your passion? What drives you to achieve?
Rose Glenn: You know, I have been so fortunate that I love what I do, and I believe that it brings me great joy. And so, I instilled that in every work environment. I tell folks if they're not experiencing joy at work, let's talk about whether they want to stay here or go somewhere else because you have to spend so many hours of your life at work. If you're not experiencing joy there, it's going to impact your entire personal life. And so, I really believe you have to find joy at work. And I was so fortunate at a young age to get into a profession that I absolutely love.
Bill Klaproth (host): That's interesting that you might counsel people if, you know, they're not finding joy in what they do, that, "Hey, maybe this isn't for you. Let's maybe help you find something that is because I care about you as a human being. Not just me potentially losing a worker. I want you in your life to be happy and find joy in whatever that is. Maybe this isn't it. Let me help you do that." That's very caring. That is very empathetic.
Rose Glenn: Absolutely. I don't want people to stay in a role where they're not satisfied and not having fun. And so, I have counseled people and sometimes they do stay and they are able to do something a little different and they're getting that joy. Gallup says that people should be able to do what they are really good at at least once a day in their jobs. It's really sometimes like a puzzle piece and making sure people are in the right job, getting to do what they're great at, because usually that's part of what brings you joy.
Bill Klaproth (host): Absolutely. So if I worked at an ice cream factory as an ice cream taster, I would find total joy every day, Rose.
Rose Glenn: I love that.
Bill Klaproth (host): That would be great. Oh, my goodness. So let's talk about SHSMD a little bit and what that has meant to you in your career and what SHSMD means to the industry as a whole, as far as raising our leaders up.
Rose Glenn: Everyone that is in our profession in the healthcare industry, in one of the strategy disciplines, really needs to bookmark on their phone, on their laptop the SHSMD website, because it is such a resource. I have referred so many people who want to learn about a certain part of communications or marketing. I've referred them to webinars on the website. I've referred them to online classes. It is a wealth of information. Sometimes when you're feeling a little isolated and you're not sure what to do, you have SHSMD educational opportunities that you can tap into. But it's so much more than that. So many people that I've met have been advisors to me and coaches and resources. They've allowed me to benchmark against what they're doing. And so the whole networking opportunity has been awesome.
And I also believe it allows you to give back. And so being part SHSMD mentoring is really important to me. And so, I have been part of the program and I've now mentored multiple young women. I'm happy to mentor multiple men as well. But they happen to have been young women. And one of them was a Rising Star awardee this year. And so that brings me a lot of joy too and I'm going to continue to mentor.
Bill Klaproth (host): I can tell. So obviously, you've had great mentors in your career, and now you are mentoring the next generation of healthcare marketers.
Rose Glenn: I really believe that's part of giving back and I love to do it so much that I'm also teaching at the University of Michigan and the young people I teach in my class, strategic communication in healthcare organizations, I'm hoping I can instill a passion or drive to join the industry and be in our field and contribute to it.
Bill Klaproth (host): Yeah, absolutely. Well, the joy and the passion that you have certainly easily comes through. There's no question about that. Okay. Last question, Rose. I could talk to you forever. You're just so great to talk to and a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. For someone listening to this who wants to achieve what you've achieved and looks at your career path, what are some steps or tips you would give to the person coming up behind you, the next generation?
Rose Glenn: I would say follow your heart with regards to what you're interested in and learn, learn, learn. And learning is not just webinars or book learning, but again, develop mentors where you can ask questions and get a better understanding of how people have done what you would like to do in the future. Enter a formal mentoring program and do a lot of listening. Through listening, you can see people's styles and how they influence and how they engage. And it's part of the emotional intelligence of how can I make my agenda effective and how can I make something that is a dream right now a reality? So yes, I highly recommend setting a path for what you want to accomplish and then taking baby steps toward that each and every day almost. You know, setting goals, taking risks, smart risks, will get you on the leadership path that you want to be on.
Bill Klaproth (host): Smart risks, I like that. Such great information, Rose. It's been a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much for your time and congrats being a Leadership Excellence Award recipient. Congrats and thanks for stopping by our podcast booth at SHSMD Connections 2022.
Rose Glenn: Thank you so much, Bill. It was a pleasure.
Bill Klaproth (host): And make sure you sign up for this year's SHSMD'S Virtual Conference, October 12th, 2022 plus on-demand through the end of the year. The virtual conference will feature access to 50 plus sessions recorded from the September in-person annual conference plus all new live sessions. Just go to shsmd.org. That's shsmd.org/virtual to learn more and to get registered. And please join us at the next SHSMD Connections Annual Conference, September 2023 in Chicago. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and find access to our full podcast library at shsmd.org/podcasts. I'm Bill Klaproth. As always, thanks for listening.