Collaboration is key for new Fredrikson president

Melodie Rose was recently named the first woman president of Fredrikson & Byron. In an interview with Minnesota Lawyer, Rose explains how she got to where she is and what she plans to do now.

The firm, now 75 years old, has nearly 400 attorneys. In addition to offices in Minneapolis and St. Paul, the firm has locations in Ames, Iowa; Bismarck, North Dakota; Des Moines, Iowa; Fargo, North Dakota; Madison, Wisconsin; Mankato, Minnesota; Saltillo, Mexico; and Shanghai, China. While women have occupied leadership positions at Fredrikson, having a woman president is historic.

It is remarkable not just at Fredrikson, but at large law firms. Across the country, men have dominated the top, firmwide leadership positions at firms. This has slowly changed.

“I didn’t start my career thinking that this is where I would be,” Rose explained. “I am a little surprised, in some ways, that I am where I am at. At the same time, I’m not.”

Rose has been with Fredrikson for 33 years. Previously, Rose served on the firm’s Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee, chaired the firm’s Business Division, and co-chaired the Public Companies and Corporate Governance groups.

Fredrikson, Rose said, offered her multiple opportunities to assume leadership positions. “It took me a little while, but I realized that this is something that I am not only good at but I really like doing it,” Rose said.  “I discovered how passionate I was about connecting with people and finding ways to be successful. I leaned into it and the firm has been so encouraging and supportive.”

Rose advanced in leadership positions because she became known for her ability to collaborate to arrive at innovative solutions for the people the firm serves. “One of the things that I have loved doing throughout my career is connecting with people, whether they are clients or fellow colleagues, and helping them find what looks best for them and putting them in positions to succeed,” Rose said. “I am always thinking about ways to provide client service that best suits of the needs of our clients. That is a pretty dynamic things these days. I am always thinking about ‘What can we do better for our clients?’”

It has not been smooth sailing to this pinnacle of her career. For Rose, much of the resistance came internally rather than externally. “The biggest challenge for me was understanding what I wanted out of my career, and how that is going to fit into my life,” Rose affirmed. “It was my own expectations of success that I needed to manage.”

“There were times in my life where I felt like I was missing the mark on everything,” Rose said. “I’m not quite hitting the mark at work, or I’m not quite hitting the mark with raising my kids, or I’m not quite hitting the mark with exercise — whatever the challenge was out there. And I realized that it was my own mindset that was the issue — I was hitting the mark.”

Rose has now hit the mark, and she is turning her attention toward the future. “I really want to continue to focus on our people and our clients,” Rose stated. “By that, I mean, there are a lot of complexities out there in the world today, a lot of challenges. Trying to be attentive and adapting to those ever-evolving needs of our people and our clients is something we need to focus on because we are in a ‘people business.’”

“It involves figuring out what’s out there, what’s happening in the world, and then adapting it to make the best version of ourselves,” Rose added. “It requires a bit of innovation, whether it is around process improvements, technology, hybrid work styles — whatever it is, we have to be open and innovative to figure out what really is going to work best for us and, therefore, that is going to work best for our clients.

“Because our business is serving the needs of other businesses, we are especially needing to keep up with the rapid change that is happening in our world. There are so many uncertainties and complexities that our clients are facing, that we are facing,” said Rose. “We want to not just be responsive and reactive to what is happening in the world but, hopefully, we are a little anticipatory as well so that we can be there for our clients.”

Rose also understands the importance of her being named to this position, and appreciates that younger female lawyers may aspire to leadership positions. To those lawyers, Rose suggests that they see opportunities, take those opportunities, and create opportunities. She also emphasizes that there are plenty of different leadership styles out there and lots of different leadership opportunities. “Each person needs to be authentic about who they are,” Rose stresses.

“They also need to be collaborative,” Rose emphasized. “To do that, you really need to know who you are — understand what you know, what you don’t, and don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.”