Sanger Leadership Center - Five Years of Success at Michigan Ross

2019 - 2020 Academic Year - Annual Report

SANGER LEADERSHIP CENTER

SANGER LEADERSHIP CENTER:

BY THE NUMBERS IN 2019-2020

• 136 - Number of program sessions delivered • 321.25 - Number of hours of learning content delivered • 15,373 - Number of student interactions • 16 of 19 - Number of U-M schools/colleges that participated in Sanger programming • 45 - Percent increase in social media followers from FY19 to FY20 (including Facebook Instagram, and Twitter)

• 68 - Percentage increase in news blog posts about Sanger activities • 66,439 - Number of social media impressions on research posts/bold ideas, newly established this past year

IMPACT REPORT: 2019-2020 ACADEMIC YEAR

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he University of Michigan Ross School of Business is renowned for fostering effective leadership skills among students, and — thanks to the generous support from Stephen W. Sanger, MBA ’70 and his wife Karen Sanger — the innovative programming and experiences offered through the Sanger Leadership Center are essential to making that happen.

In this annual report, you’ll learn more about the many ways the Center helped students to become the best versions of themselves during the 2019-2020 Academic Year, so they can go on to become positive and impactful business leaders after graduation. This report also provides updates on how the Center continued to strive toward excellence and effectiveness in everything it does.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP: The year 2020 marks the fifth anniversary of the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross.

Over the course of the last year, Sanger completed a five-year visioning project, creating bold objectives and a vision for the next five years. With much guidance from new faculty director Lindy Greer, the team integrated the latest science and research across its programming — strengthening a more data-driven approach to skill development. Sanger also started planning for an integrated leadership journey, where each program is mapped to specific leadership skills and presented to the students as integral steps on a larger journey.

REACTION TO COVID-19: This global pandemic caused a wide range of challenges for Michigan Ross, but the school reacted to the crisis quickly and effectively. For example, the school promptly moved to all online classes, and Sanger quickly adjusted its programming.

The changes were so successful that the center is considering several of them as models for future teaching and learning! Here are some examples: • Story Lab Podcast: Sanger partnered with the team at Business Beyond Usual, Ross’ MBA podcast, to produce the Center’s first-ever digital showcase. The episode was downloaded almost 700 times and featured interviews with Sanger’s partners at Wolf & Heron, program alums, and of course, some compelling storytelling.

• Story Lab Women’s MBA Retreat: This year’s retreat was offered virtually for all 130 WMBA students in partnership with Professor Laurie Morgan’s Leadership Capstone course. Here’s what one participant said about the experience: “This session was facilitated so professionally. I know how hard it can be to run a 60+ virtual class but y’all managed to do it with docs, prompts,

breakouts, partners, switching groups . . . it was incredible. Plus, the content was comprehensive and digestible. I was a theater major and practiced a lot of public speaking - this workshop covered so many of the best practices in a way I think was helpful to participants.”

• Ross Leaders Academic (RLA) Online Session & Closing: Sanger moved all traditionally in-person RLA sessions to Zoom, utilizing the chat and breakout rooms features to foster connection and continue smaller team discussions. For the closing session, Sanger utilized Miro (a virtual whiteboard) to highlight each student’s biggest insights/takeaways that they submitted in advance. Additionally, students were able to comment and share notes of encouragement or inspiration for fellow cohort members in real time. Evaluation results for these online sessions were high and consistent with previous years’ in-person sessions.

• Leadership Resource Page: Between the webpage and social media, Sanger posted a wide range of helpful resources for students, including podcasts, articles, and tools to help students lead and cope during the pandemic. Social media posts include encouragement and tips to help students lead.

In this annual report, you’ll discover more about how your support of the Sanger Leadership Center is helping shape the leaders of tomorrow. On the next page, read a student impact story about an MBA student who benefited from multiple Sanger activities during her first two years at Ross. This student wants to do even more in her third year to help fellow students get the same impactful assistance.

Subsequent pages will highlight Sanger’s offerings in three distinct areas, with each one featuring student testimonials of how Sanger made a difference in their Ross experience, as well as participant statistics and metrics that explain how the Center measures success in the respective areas.

1. Orientation Programming includes offerings such as the full-time MBA Business + Impact Challenge; the Big Picture Exercise; MM, MAcc, & MSCM Business + Impact Challenge; part-time MBA Moments of Greatness Orientation Session; and First-Year BBA Orientation 2. Opt-In Student Experiences consist of programs such as Leadership Crisis Challenge; Story Lab; Legacy Lab; Michigan Model of Leadership Workshops; and 1:1 Coaching.

3. Learning Communities include Ross Leaders Academy and Leader Experience (LDRx), which features programs for both BBA and MBA students.

STUDENT IMPACT STORY SANGER PARTICIPANT LEADS BY EXAMPLE AT ROSS Keeping your cool in the midst of a business crisis.

Learning the importance of telling a compelling story.

Relying on a peer-led support system to navigate the challenging MBA process.

Stephanie Simpson, MBA/MSI ’21, learned all of these things and more during the past two academic years from programs offered at the Sanger Leadership Center at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. This coming year, she wants to get even more involved with Sanger to help others do the same.

During her time at Ross, Stephanie has participated in Sanger’s Leader Experience (LDRx), Story Lab, and Crisis Challenge. This fall, she hopes to expand her involvement by serving as a Sanger Student Board Member, which would allow her to help fellow students navigate the center’s offerings.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to highlight to incoming or prospective students the different programs that Sanger puts on and how it can help your MBA process,” Stephanie said of being a Student Board Member. “Being an MBA, there are so many things vying for your time.

I’d like to be able to highlight what you get out of it, how you can use it in the future, from a fellow student’s perspective. I want to be that point of contact that can talk to anyone who has questions, and I can talk to them about my experiences.”

Stephanie, a user experience specialist who hopes to serve as the bridge between front- and back-end design teams upon graduation, was introduced to Sanger through LDRx, a student-led community that pairs students with a small group of their peers. At a set time each week, students discuss their leadership development and adjustment to being an MBA, relying on each other as a critical support system and sounding board.

“It’s especially a great program to do as a first-year because it helps you meet people outside of your section – and the first year tends to be very focused on section,” she explained. “It can be a crazy whirlwind to be a first-year MBA student. It’s nice to have that time set aside to have that support system.”

From there, Stephanie applied to be on the planning team for Story Lab, a program that provides students with an executive-level presence and impactful communication skills through storytelling workshops and events. In her second year, she served as a vice president of Story Lab, a position she will maintain this fall.

The program taught Stephanie something she may not have realized – or even considered: Telling stories is an important part of being an effective leader.

“Being able to tell a good story – and even tell a personal story – brings authenticity to yourself, setting you up as a person and somebody who can be trusted because you’re also a human being,” she said. Hearing her peers’ stories also increased the sense of community at Ross.

“By having Story Lab, there are parts of my classmates’ lives that I may have never known about if it wasn’t for Story Lab, which I think is a great showcase for the diversity in our community and to show the triumphs some fellow students have gone through. I think Story Lab is one of those unique events that really brings our community together.”

She also served as a “warlord” in the Crisis Challenge, which inserts students in the middle of a simulated business crisis, testing and molding their ability to respond with poise to stressful situations.

As a warlord, Stephanie helped plan roles for peers who were simulating media members digging for answers, social media trolls causing problems online, and upset board members looking for explanations.

“It was good for me to see how I react under stress and how I reacted when other team members were under stress and see how I can improve, because we also have communication coaches who are looking for that and give us feedback.

“Going into business, especially in today’s world, everyone will go through some crisis at some point. It’s good to get that safe crisis management background and practice in now, because most business people are learning how to manage crisis during the crisis.”

Now that she’s seen the level of planning that goes into the unique experiences offered by the Sanger Leadership Center, Stephanie has a greater appreciation for the donors who make the programs possible.

“A lot more planning and resources go into these events than a lot of students realize from just attending them,” she said. “To the donors, the money is being put to good use because these are great programs that run pretty flawlessly. I think it’s such a great opportunity for students because Ross is able to provide these topnotch programs for free. It’s because of the donor that we’re able to do that.”

ORIENTATION PROGRAMMING

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o much of a student’s success during their four years on campus depends on how they kick off their academic journey during their first year. Sanger helps to make sure that students get off on the right foot through innovative orientation programming. More than 600 students took part in Sanger orientation programming last year. This programming helps students learn who they want to be, what they want to accomplish in life, and how to get the most out of their Ross experience. Here are some highlights:

FULL-TIME MBA BUSINESS + IMPACT CHALLENGE

Conducted in August 2019, the revised FTMBA onboarding program, which brought in more behavioral skill building, bold ideas and research, and the new Big Picture exercise, achieved its highest evaluations ever.

Big Picture Exercise: The Big Picture exercise is designed to creatively highlight conflict and communication gaps that can occur in teams placed in high-pressure situations. Students receive the unfortunate news that their design for a key client was ruined in the mail, and they must recreate the painting based on scarce information in a limited amount of time. The students are organized into a hierarchy where a few senior managers hold the most information, general workers know close to nothing but own central tasks, and middle managers must liaise between the two groups. At the end of the experience, students not only delivered murals to the client but learned some valuable lessons in leadership and teamwork along the way.

Deliverables included a final pitch, press release, a booth showcasing their work, and learning insights. Teams were evaluated on their clarity of the solution, cultural awareness, rigor, viability, and impact. Based on student survey responses, the Challenge was successful in helping students gain self-awareness, connect with classmates, try out some new leadership behaviors in a safe space (leading others, teams, and organizations) and establish learning goals for their time at Ross.

Summary of Success: The updated FTMBA program was deemed to be a resounding success, with student evaluations praising its positive impacts. Consider the following: • 90% of students strongly agreed or agreed they gained skills about solving problems creatively.

• 96% of students strongly agreed or agreed they gained skills about managing team dynamics and work styles.

• 91% of students strongly agreed or agreed they gained relevant leadership skills by participating.

• 95% of students strongly agreed or agreed they will apply the skills they gained to develop as a leader.

• 92% of students strongly agreed or agreed the action-oriented format was conducive to their learning.

• 95% of students strongly agreed or agreed that participating increased their interest in leadership development.

“As the Big Picture activity progressed, it became apparent that the titles were just titles, and empowering leadership within the section was the best way to succeed. After our intermission full of thoughtful discussion, we returned with a revamped strategy and energy, finishing the project with smiles all around!”

- Ashruth Easwar, MBA ’21 “This experience was a phenomenal way to kick-start the Ross experience. As a veteran, I truly value the role of teams in leadership development, and this exercise underlined how serious Ross is about cultivating meaningful business leadership.”

- Dave Horvath, FTMBA ’21

MM, MAcc, & MSCM BUSINESS + IMPACT CHALLENGE

Business + Impact Challenge: Partnering with Amazon, students were tasked with providing innovative solutions to the following prompt: How might Amazon serve the Base of the Pyramid in India, achieving both ethical impact and profitability? Students finetuned the scope of the challenge by choosing to focus on one of the following areas: Food, Energy, Health, Transportation, Work and Economic Growth, or Education. Students were exposed to more than 15 subject matter experts who introduced them to concepts related to the challenge.

This innovative program conducted in October 2019 was designed to build community between distinct audiences, reinforce the school’s mission to use business as a vehicle for positive impact, and develop critical leadership skills needed for today’s turbulent work environment.

These leadership skills include: managing team dynamics and different work styles; solving problems creatively and driving results; and leading change and innovation.

The Challenge consisted of two main components: 1) Big Picture Exercise: Students learned about the ins and outs of team dynamics, hierarchy, and how to leverage personal and group strengths to collaborate more effectively; and 2) Partnering with Ann Arbor’s

Eberwhite Elementary School, students were challenged to develop a proposal to reinvigorate the Eberwhite playground. They achieved this by developing a comprehensive plan that: addressed the steering committee’s team dynamics; brought the element of inclusive play into marketing efforts; generated fundraising capital; and empowered the community to take action.

“B+IC challenge pushed me to get the most of my abilities as a leader to coordinate work with a big team. It showed me the importance of mutual respect, diversity of viewpoint and trust. It helped hone my project management skills and management of organization concepts.”

- Sushrut Sardesai MSCM ’20

PART-TIME MBA MOMENTS OF GREATNESS ORIENTATION SESSION

This inspiring session hosted in May 2020 was designed to help students benefit in a number of ways: enhance self-awareness through personal reflection; create interpersonal bonds within the class; set an intention for the MBA experience; see the power of reflection, storytelling and leadership development; and commit to continuing the momentum moving forward. Prior to the session, students completed the Michigan Model of Leadership and Core Values Card Sort modules.

Summary of Success: Judging by their responses, students felt the session to be beneficial in the following aspects: • 96% either agreed or strongly agreed that participating in the session increased their interest in leadership development.

• •

92% either agreed or strongly agreed that they will apply insights learned to develop as a leader.

92% either agreed or strongly agreed that Sanger’s facilitation style was conducive to their learning.

“When I was asked to think about the greatness moments in my life, I started to reflect and 5 minutes later I found myself in tears. The experience we had defined who we are, and gave us the strength to carry on. I appreciate that the Sanger Leadership program gave me the chance to sit down and dig into the self-exploration. I’m more clear about my strength and weakness, and more confident to leverage them in my future career path.”

- Linda Yang WMBA ’22 “I chose Ross because I wanted to develop as a leader. Working with Sanger has solidified my confidence in the decision to attend and I look forward to the continued opportunities with the Sanger Leadership Center.”

- Balakrishnan Subramanian WMBA ’21

FIRST-YEAR BBA ORIENTATION

As part of their introduction to Ross in August 2019, students were exposed to Sanger as a featured stop in an Action Bound relay. Students learned about the Michigan Model of Leadership, reflected on their leadership values in relation to the model, and discussed in small groups how these values impact team dynamics.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

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oday’s world of work is dynamic, complex, and challenging. It rewards those who have the character and leadership capabilities to help others navigate it. For the past five years, Sanger has given students the foundation of real-world experience and educational background they will utilize upon graduation, when they find themselves immersed in that challenging world of work. Here are the experiences Sanger uses to provide this foundation:

LEADERSHIP CRISIS CHALLENGE

This year’s Sanger Leadership Crisis Challenge (LCC) tasked students with role-playing a company’s senior executive team as they navigated through a high-stakes, high-pressure simulated crisis scenario over a 24-hour period. The Challenge tested students’ ability to strategize, manage uncertainty, work with diverse individuals, and develop executive presence. One challenge was held this year for graduate students on January 30 and 31. The undergraduate challenge was canceled due to COVID-19. Highlights for this year included: • Record-setting attendance: 210 attended the graduate challenge in January. The registration form filled up within 24 hours.

• Online MBA integration: The first OMBA cohort consisting of 58 students participated in the Challenge as part of an in-person Leadership Residency.

• Record-setting alumni support: We had 26 alumni volunteer their time to share their expertise with participants, which is the most alumni we’ve ever had involved in one challenge.

• Number of students involved: 210 (our largest graduate challenge ever)

Summary of Success: Preparing for crisis is not an easily simulated scenario, but it’s an extremely practical one that the leaders of tomorrow will certainly face. Students responded that they felt more prepared for problems in the workplace as a result of the challenge, as these survey results show (percentages of students who “strongly agreed” or “agreed”): • 95% gained skills about strategic thinking and decision-making.

• 92% gained skills about executive presence.

• 91% gained skills about navigating uncertainty and managing ambiguity.

• 94% gained relevant leadership skills by participating in LCC. • 95% will apply the skills they gained to develop as a leader.

• 98% believed the action-oriented format was conducive to learning.

“Crisis Challenge is a perfect opportunity to learn how to handle imperfect situations! The Sanger team did an extraordinary job to simulate real-world situations, involve the right people, and provide valuable guidance.”

- Kiran Veera, OMBA ’22 “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was an incredible learning opportunity. The challenge was relevant, and I appreciated Sanger’s commitment to making it a realistic and holistic learning experience, through the workshops, the use of real journalists, the live simulation, and more.”

- Esenam Dogoe, MBA ’21

STORY LAB

Story Lab provides students with the leadership skills necessary to communicate with impact by helping them become skilled storytellers.

Through the art of effective storytelling, students learn to better convey their value to recruiters, motivate classmates, and influence any audience they’re addressing. Story Lab provides this opportunity to hone skills in a safe, supportive environment.

Attendance: Demand for the program continues to grow. Last year, out of 209 students who applied to participate in a retreat, 130 students were accepted and attended one of the four opt-in retreats that are available to all Ross students. An additional 120 Weekend MBAs participated in a Story Lab retreat as part of their Leadership Capstone course. In total, 250 students participated in a Story Lab retreat.

About 1,100 students, staff, faculty, and community members attended at least one of our public in-person storytelling showcase events: Kickoff, Fall Showcase, and Winter Showcase. As with all of Sanger’s programs, the outbreak of and response to COVID-19 required the Story Lab team to rapidly adapt. For the Showcase Finale at the conclusion of the academic year, the team recorded and produced a podcast episode that has been downloaded almost 700 times.

Partnering with the Design+Business Club, Sanger continues to have an invested student core planning team. In 2019-20, this team piloted Community Connections – a new branch of the Story Lab program tree that allows retreat attendees the opportunity to continue to refine their

stories through small group workshop sessions.

Summary of Success: Survey results show that Story Lab participants were impressed with the program’s impact in the following areas: • 100% either agreed or strongly agreed that they gained relevant communication skills and insights.

• 96% of those who RSVPed to the three public storytelling showcases agreed or strongly agreed that Story Lab is a valuable experience.

“Story Lab is a critical experience for any leader to understand their most influential experiences and refine their stage presence. This is helpful for presenting yourself on stage, to an employer, or even to new friends. Just do it!”

- Sonal Thawani, MBA ’21 “The art of storytelling is not just for writers, actors or other creatives.

It is a powerful leadership skill needed to navigate an ever increasingly complex business landscape.”

- Erin Olander, MBA ’21

LEGACY LAB

Legacy Lab consists of a two-part introspective workshop that allows graduate and undergraduate students from Ross and the broader Michigan student community to deepen their self-awareness and core values in a way that informs their careers. Through participating in the workshops, students create a personal statement that articulates their

purpose, core values, leadership philosophy, and learning agenda. Due to high demand last year, Legacy Lab was offered three times during the 2019-2020 academic year (twice in the fall semester and once in the spring).

• Prospective students and under-represented minoritized youth

Legacy Lab was enhanced this year by integrating the latest scientific research on self-awareness and interpersonal skills. In a two-workshop series, students learned the Do’s and Don’ts of reflection, then applied their new skills to improve their self-knowledge and mastery. They also reviewed the science of vulnerability, psychological safety, and trust, while practicing building high-quality connections with their teammates.

Other on-demand / specialty workshops: • Growing Through Personal Narratives Workshop for all-access weekend prospective students • Identifying + Leading with Core Values for graduate students at Munger Residence Hall • Finding Your Purpose Workshop at the Leaders for Life conference for rising sophomores and juniors • Values Workshop with the Wolverine Pathways summer program • Giving and Receiving Feedback Session for Global MBA students

Summary of Success: The Center is happy to report that the vast majority of students found Legacy Lab to be impactful in the following ways: • 100% agreed or strongly agreed that they gained relevant leadership skills by participating.

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed that they will apply the skills gained to develop as a leader.

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed that participation increased their interest in leadership development.

• 86-100% of students across all three offerings also strongly agreed or agreed the action-oriented format was conducive to their learning.

1:1 Coaching: A continued service for students, 1:1 coaching is a personalized development experience designed to advance students’ leadership skills through one or more one-to-one sessions with a trained coach, evolving around a challenge/topic the students bring.

The goal of coaching is to increase personal satisfaction and fulfillment by helping students learn to be leaders in both work and life. Students may gain greater clarity of their goals, enhance their self-awareness and self-management, increase their ability to bring new perspectives to situations, and increase alignment between their values and their actions. Sanger provided coaching to students who attended the Ross Leaders Academy and Legacy Lab, as well as to LDRx facilitators and Sanger Ambassadors.

“I loved the structure in thinking through some very ambiguous topics as well as the scientific research underpinning the topics discussed. Being able to seriously evaluate my values and develop a purpose statement has helped me gain focus on my academic and recruiting endeavors.”

- Katie Lin, MBA ’21

Summary of Success: Between two coaches, there were a total of 47 individual coaching sessions completed. It’s a testament to coaches’ efforts that 100% of participants said the coaching process had directly contributed to a change in the results and outcomes of their work. Students reported a variety of benefits including: increased self-awareness; boosted self-confidence; developed new self-management strategies; and gained the ability to bring new perspectives to facing challenges.

OTHER PROGRAMS Michigan Model of Leadership Workshops: The Michigan Model of Leadership workshops are offered to any group of students and employees on the U-M campus, as long as bandwidth within the Sanger team exists. These interactive 90-minute workshops enable participants to recognize and effectively manage competing tensions in organizational life, enabling them to make a positive impact as leaders in complex and dynamic times.

Specifically, participants: learn to define leadership, using the Michigan Model; identify their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the model; learn strategies for navigating and balancing these tensions; and begin to formulate an action plan to increase their leadership effectiveness.

“This was my first experience with coaching, and I really appreciated having a judgment-free space for reflection and consideration of my own values and goals, disregarding the strong expectations of my program/professional environment that can otherwise be limiting in terms of what future aspirations are valued or expected and which are not.”

“I attended multiple coaching sessions with my coach. He helped me enhance my self-awareness and craft a customized leadership This year, Sanger offered the workshops to a variety of participants. blueprint. He also provided me with several tools and techniques Examples of delivered workshops: to implement changes immediately. The improvements were instantaneous. I am not only a more effective and bolder leader • Graduate students in the School for Environment and Sustainability’s but also a more balanced individual. I strongly encourage everyone Capstone Courses interested in leadership or self-improvement to sign up to one of the • Juniors and Seniors in Organizational Studies 201 and 305 sessions.”

• Students at the Ford School of Public Policy • Early Career Professionals in University Development • Incoming U-M freshman through Campus Connections program

LEARNING COMMUNITIES

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anger’s learning communities are all about self-development.

They help students develop new capabilities. By working with diverse individuals and teams, they are intentionally building strong networks to advance their careers. The Ross Leaders Academy enhances students’ self-awareness by understanding their purpose and values while forming habits of reflection that will power lifelong pursuits.

ROSS LEADERS ACADEMY

The Ross Leaders Academy (RLA), Sanger’s year-long leadership development community for select students across campus, is a signature learning community for Sanger. This past year, Sanger added a new session focused on resilience. The session was evaluated very highly, with 95% of students strongly agreeing or agreeing that as a result of the session, they learned how to be more resilient using a model created by the Sanger team during times of adversity.

Throughout the entire program, 50 students participate, learn from a diverse set of peers, receive team executive coaching, and engage with more than 30 years’ worth of research advanced by U-M’s innovative faculty.

Summary of Success: The impact of RLA is evident from an impressive 100% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing that they: • Gained relevant leadership skills by participating • Will apply the skills they gained to develop as a leader • Believed the action-oriented format was conducive to their learning • Felt the program increased their interest in leadership development “RLA was a comprehensive leadership program that directly resulted in me stretching myself to learn and grow so that I could better myself as a leader. It provided me with structure and access to resources to empower myself to explore the path of self-development. RLA challenged me to raise the bar for myself, and I’m so grateful for the challenge set before me to be my best self.”

- Jumanah Saadeh, MBA ’24 “The Ross Leaders Academy was the bright spot of my senior year because it gave me the resources and time to pause and evaluate what I wanted out of my life, my career, and my future goals. Having the space to be vulnerable and connect with other students from different programs brought clarity and perspective to the challenges I was facing in my own life and allowed me to receive valuable feedback that greatly changed the way I view myself and others.”

- Michael Fabatz, LSA ’20

LDRx

Leader Experience (LDRx) is a student-led and Sanger-supported learning community that provides participants with a peer group, tools, and other support systems for developing their leadership capacity.

Participants meet once per week with a small group of peers and utilize

a student-driven curriculum developed in conjunction with Sanger. Both MBA and BBA students benefit from LDRx.

BBA LDRx

BBA students participated in a cross-program networking and Q&A session with LDRx MBAs. As a result of COVID-19, the LDRx planning team adapted quickly to modify its program to a new format. In midMarch, it was one of the first programs that the Sanger team conducted virtually. A total of 43 students participated, including 31 participants, 10 facilitators and 2 co-chairs.

Summary of Success: Following a curriculum focused on emotional intelligence: • 97% of students reported that they had a deeper understanding of emotional intelligence as a leadership skill.

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed that they gained leadership insights they would apply as they develop as a leader.

• 100% agreed or strongly agreed that LDRx provided them with a space to practice self-reflection.

MBA LDRx

Three separate training sessions were conducted for student facilitators, spread out throughout the year and tailored to the needs of that group.

The final session included program closure and an opportunity for students to look ahead using a future journey line reflective tool. A total of 99 students participated, including 77 participants, 19 facilitators, and three co-chairs.

Summary of success: Program participation increased by 65% over the previous year, reflecting the planning team’s effort to be more inclusive and expand program reach. Further positives include: • 84% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they gained leadership insights they would apply as they develop as a leader • 93% said that LDRx provided them with a space to practice self-reflection

“LDRx gave me the space and community to explore who I am as a person and how I want to show up as a leader and teammate.

Meeting weekly with my small group helped me prioritize my personal growth and leadership development as we encouraged each other to dig deeper, become more self-aware, and take advantage of the opportunities to practice our leadership skills.”

- Allison Winstel, MBA ’21

“Through LDRx, I gained access to a supportive and welcoming community that allowed me to advance my leadership development, while also learning key principles of empathy, self-reflection, and trust in business. I am thankful for this opportunity to engage and grow with peers in an intimate environment where people were honest, encouraging, and collaborative.”

-Aaron Nath, BBA ’22

COURSES

Sanger Faculty Director Lindy Greer taught a popular, new course at Michigan Ross on the Psychology of Startup Teams. She also codeveloped and taught the core Organizational Behavior course for Ross’ new Online MBA. Both courses delve into specific leadership skills core to Sanger’s mission. In the meantime, Sanger Managing Director Brian Flanagan taught a new elective course – Leadership Skills in MissionDriven Organizations – while co-developing and teaching the Business Leadership Residency for Online MBA students.

Course Integrations

Sanger’s presence was felt in a variety of core and elective courses at Ross. Undergraduate BBA students received leadership development sessions powered by Sanger within BA 100 (Foundations in Learning Business), 200 (Business and Leaders), and 453 (Capstone Multidisciplinary Action Projects). All first-year MBA students worked with Sanger in BA 553 (Multidisciplinary Action Projects), while a select number continued to develop their leadership skills with Sanger in BA 685 (Health Care Delivery in Emerging Markets).

For the third consecutive year, Sanger Managing Director Brian Flanagan served as a guest teacher for six class periods within Ross’ innovative elective course, The Living Business Leadership Experience.

With Sanger’s support, students had the opportunity to establish and lead functional teams within real, operational business units, working directly with executives in sponsoring companies.

The course is a cornerstone of Dean Scott DeRue’s strategy for the school, closing the gap between learning and practice by enabling students to learn business by doing business. Sanger enhanced the course by offering hands-on, research-based leadership development experiences.

RESEARCH & BOLD IDEAS

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ith a new faculty director, Lindy Greer, and a team of 18 faculty champions representing a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, research at Sanger has continued to be utilized to make an impact. The Center also been able to disseminate the latest research into the world via social media and our blog. Here are some highlights: • • •

Sanger blog posts increased nearly 70% over the past year.

Blog page views went up 10%, with a total of nearly 4,200 views from July 2019-May 2020.

Sanger started a new social media campaign with #WednesdayWisdom, which showcased a leadership tip connected to faculty research topics. This once-weekly campaign ran for 22 weeks and helped boost social media impressions across four platforms to nearly 65,000!

SELECTED PAPERS Side of Leadership: Conceptualizing risk perceptions in informal leadership and investigating the effects of their over-time changes in teams. Chen, Z., Nahrgang, J. Ashford, S. J. & DeRue, D. S. (2020) Organization Science, forthcoming.

The interpersonal costs of dishonesty: How dishonest behavior reduces individuals’ ability to read others’ emotions. Julia J. Lee Cunningham (Sanger faculty champion), AE Hardin, B Parmar, F Gino. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 148 (9), 1557.

Summary: Telling a white lie can have consequences on your ability to read emotions. When you are dishonest, you are less likely to see yourself as relational. When this happens, you become less accurate in judging the emotions of others.

Blurred Lines: How the Collectivism Norm Operates Through Perceived Group Diversity to Boost or Harm Group Performance in Himalayan Mountain Climbing. JA Chatman, Lindred L. Greer (Sanger faculty director), E Sherman, B Doerr. Organization Science 30 (2), 235-259.

Summary: Lindy Greer and fellow researchers used data from summiting mountains to draw surprising conclusions about teamwork.

It turns out, team cohesion isn’t always the answer; sometimes the knowledge of an experienced leader should be relied on vs. group negotiation. Published in FY19, this paper won the Academy of Management Best Publication in Organizational Behavior 2020 award for all papers published in May 2020.

SANGER RESEARCH GROUP HIGHLIGHTS Sanger expanded the Sanger faculty champions to now include 18 faculty from across departments at Ross and U-M, including strategy, business law, and psychology.

The Center also held its first joint research meeting with faculty champions to discuss Sanger’s leadership framework for research and teaching. Sanger is currently planning development of a regular research lab for faculty.

Developing Leaders Through Your Generosity

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hrough its innovative programming and immersive learning experiences, the Sanger Leadership Center has helped revolutionize the development of future leaders over the past five years at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Perhaps the only thing more exciting than the progress Sanger has made in its first five years is the continued improvement and development planned for the next five years and beyond.

This past year has taught all of us many things about ourselves as a learning institution, society, and world. The uncertainties of 2020 have shown the importance of strong leadership in challenging times. These unprecedented times have certainly been trying, but they have provided the opportunity to evaluate what constitutes good leadership, and how it can help bring people together in times of crisis.

The impacts and activities highlighted in this report’s pages are a testament to the visionary leadership displayed by you, our generous donors.

Thank you for helping shape the leaders of tomorrow through exceptional leadership programming today.

Sanger Leadership Center: Accelerating leader development through bold ideas, transformative experiences, and inclusive communities.