A United States Marine Corps MBA

Quote of the Day

Robert J. Stevens

“I did not learn about leadership in business school. I learned about leadership when I was 18 years-old and first introduced to the United States Marine Corps, where leadership is not taught by a favored professor in a three-credit hour course.  It is taught by every officer and every NCO in every minute and every hour of every day, in every action, every word, every deed, and every circumstance.  And, in that experience, you are immersed in a culture of excellence that is built on a foundation of virtue and value.”

Robert J. Stevens, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin, and United States Marine Corps Veteran

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Robert J. Stevens Mini Biography

Robert Stevens, at age 18, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after graduation from McKeesport High School in western Pennsylvania in 1969. He reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and graduated as the Outstanding Marine of Platoon 3073. He also was the recipient of the Outstanding Recruit Award for the 3d Battalion given by Leatherneck Magazine. Based upon Mr. Stevens’ performance in boot camp, he was meritoriously promoted to lance corporal.

Upon completion of training as a forward observer at Camp Lejeune, Mr. Stevens was assigned to the 2d Field Artillery Group, FMF Atlantic and subsequently transferred to WESTPAC where he joined 3d Battalion, 12th Marines in Okinawa. While with 3/12, Mr. Stevens was assigned to an infantry company in 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, and as part of the Special Landing Force, traveled to Vietnam and the Philippines. In 1972, he finished his two years of active duty with the III Marine Amphibious Force, FMF Pacific and was honorably discharged in 1975 with the rank of corporal.

Following active duty, Mr. Stevens enrolled in Slippery Rock University and graduated summa cum laude in 1976 receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award. He subsequently received graduate degrees in engineering and management from the Polytechnic University of New York, and, with a Fairchild Fellowship, earned a master’s degree in business from Columbia University while pursuing a very distinguished career in the aerospace defense industry culminating as chairman, president and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, retiring in 2013.[i]

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Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Award

Robert J. Stevens’ remarks at the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Awards Dinner receiving The General John A. LeJeune Recognition for Exemplary Leadership on April 28, 2010

Developing Leaders: Perspectives from Lockheed Martin

Bob Stevens, Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, talks about the strategy for developing leaders. Stevens was a keynote speaker at the Center for Leadership, Innovation and Change (CLIC) launch on October 1, 2010

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Source and Footnote –

* Inspiration for this post came from reading an article on CNN Money entitled, “10 Fortune 500 Military CEOs.”  Robert J. Stevens’ frame can be found HERE.

[i] Chairman Robert J. Stevens – 2017 Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award – Naval Order of the United States – http://www.navalorder.org/awards/2017/7/22-chairman-robert-j-stevens-2017-admiral-of-the-navy-george-dewey-award – Accessed 10 November 2017 – http://www.navalorder.org/

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Related Articles –

Robert J. Stevens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer – Biography (via Lockheed Martin website – http://www.lockheedmartin.com/)

Leadership as a Verb (Speech text) (Remarks By Robert J. Stevens, upon receiving the 2004 ‘Executive of the Year’ Award from the National Management Association, November 1, 2004) (via Lockheed Martin – Speeches at www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/speeches.html)