There’s quite a bit involved with being a good leader, and Jenell Ross, CEO of Bob Ross Auto Group, had some insight to share.
On March 19, Ross spoke to Sinclair students during a Sinclair Talks event entitled “Women in Leadership.” She shared her own successes and failures and what it means to be a leader.
Ross says it best: “A boss has the title. A leader has the people.”
She was four when her father first began working in the automotive industry. His first dealership was in Richmond, Ind., but he would later go on to buy a GM dealership in Ohio. He was the first African American to own a GM dealership in Ohio, and the first African American man in the world to own a Mercedes Benz dealership.
From a young age, Ross knew her father was a record-breaking entrepreneur. She had no idea she would soon become one herself.
Jenell Ross lost her father when she was 27 years old. Her mother took over the company and Ross would handle the day-to-day activities. However, Ross lost her mother soon thereafter to breast cancer and would inherit the entire company.
Nobody wants to accept a new boss coming in when the old one was so loved. This sentiment held especially true in the car business.
Nevertheless, when Ross inherited the company, she was met with roaring applause. The workers rallied behind her and together, they would usher in a new era.
In the United States, there are approximately 18,000 new vehicle franchises today. A little over 1,000 of those are owned by women and less than 60 are owned by minorities. Ross had some serious work to do if she was ever going to be taken seriously in this industry.
In her speech to the Sinclair students, Miss Ross recounted her continuing battle to prove she deserves to be in the boardroom.
No industry is easy for women. Especially minority women. But a black woman in the car industry is so rare that after 22 years of being CEO, people still don’t take Ross seriously.
For example, her GM is a white male. Most of the time, people will aim their questions at him instead of her. They assume he’s the big shot and she’s the wife.
She constantly has to prove that she is knowledgeable in this field and demand respect from her peers.
It’s no sweat though, as Ross has a sense of humor about the whole thing. She laughs at the people who put their foot in their mouth as she continues to succeed.
Indeed, many of those people have actually become her friends and lament the fact they embarrassed themselves so much upon their first meeting.
She says you have to roll with the punches and pay the naysayers no mind.
Her greatest advice is simple:
“Seek out education and learn as much as you can because no one can take your knowledge away. A boss has the title, a leader has the people.”
Emilee Brewer
Intern