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Building Professional Success: 25 Years of Connections at Making Me Marketable
Krissy Tripp, B.J. ’11, M.B.A. ’16, senior director of decision science at Concord in Kansas City, left, shared insights during a panel discussion at the 25th annual Making Me Marketable conference on Sept. 20 at the Memorial Union. Looking on are J. Scott Christianson, associate teaching professor and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Stacie Kane, assistant teaching professor of management.
By Flavia Lima
This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Making Me Marketable conference, a significant milestone for the event sponsored by the Trulaske College of Business’s Department of Marketing, the Marketing Advisory Board and the Mizzou Marketing Club. The conference continues to unite students, alumni, industry experts and sponsors, fostering valuable connections and professional growth.
The event’s first keynote speaker was Lisa Scheer, B.S.B.A. ’81, M.B.A. ’82, a retired professor of marketing at the Trulaske College of Business and more importantly, founder of the Making Me Marketable conference. She shared inspiring insights, particularly about the vision behind the event's name. Why “Making Me Marketable” instead of “Make Me Marketable?” The answer is simple: a five-hour event won't instantly make us marketable. It’s what we take from it and apply in our lives that truly matters. The name itself captures this philosophy: “Making” signifies ongoing action, “Me” emphasizes personal responsibility and “Marketable” points to the ultimate goal of professional success.
The event featured 12 panels across four sessions, which allowed students to select topics that best fit their personal and professional goals. The panel that caught my attention was “Lead with Emotional Intelligence: The Soft Skills.” This session offered students valuable insights into professionalism and empathy. The panel emphasized the power of body language in conveying confidence and authenticity, as well as the importance of the words we use to encourage others during challenging times. One striking phrase, “Empathy does not start with BUT,” showed me that we should not diminish someone’s problem by downplaying it or comparing it to a greater challenge.
Another panel that resonated with me was “Work Smart: Finding a Mentor.” In this session, we learned that mentorship should be approached with a plan. It's not about having or being a mentor for the title but about focusing on what we want to learn and why we want it. When choosing a mentor, I learned it's beneficial to consider individuals with similar goals but different perspectives, as this diversity can enrich our understanding and analysis of situations.
The closing speaker for the event was John Brase, B.S.B.A. ’90, chief operating officer at The J.M. Smucker Company, who encouraged students to think outside the box and experience new things. He said making mistakes is part of learning, and that those learning opportunities ultimately make us better professionals. Seize life's opportunities, but also recognize the importance of managing commitments to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
My reflection from the event is: Never say, “I don’t know” or “I can’t do it.” You don’t know everything yet and can’t do everything yet, but by chasing your goals, putting in the effort and above all, being yourself, you can reach high places.
Making Me Marketable offers a great opportunity to identify the strengths we need to succeed professionally and personally. I am excited to see what they have prepared for next year.