Lockheed CEO shares his wisdom on management

Many students would be nervous about striking up a conversation with the chief executive officer of one of the world's leading systems integration companies. But not if they happened to be in the room with Lockheed Martin CEO and Chairman Vance Coffman Wednesday afternoon. In Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Coffman made himself accessible during a lecture -- which he called a "large conversation" -- entitled, "Leading in the New Millennium." About 40 students attended. "Cheaper, better, faster is not always the way to go," he cautioned students. His speech focused on the importance of leadership and teamwork skills, also touching upon how he made the journey from a self-proclaimed "Iowa farm boy" to CEO. Coffman stressed the opportunities which are available to students, mentioning that his company hires about 4,000 students a year. He also added that when he originally graduated from Stanford with a doctoral degree in aeronautics, he had every intention of becoming a college professor. Additionally, Coffman covered issues encountered in a large corporation such as Lockheed Martin, from integrity and ethics to the latest developments in technology. His particular company produces a huge range of cutting-edge scientific commercial possibilities. Coffman said Lockheed Martin's products are useful "from the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space," from submarines to robots on Mars to the Department of Defense. Full of words of wisdom on work ethics, Coffman added, "doing what you say you're going to do" is important. Students attending the event were eager to hear Coffman. Tim Wengerd, a Wharton freshman, said he attended to find out "what exactly makes them so special," in regard to individuals in Coffman's position. Given Coffman's credentials, Simon Bland, also a Wharton freshman, noted he was "surprised that there wasn't a bigger turnout" for the event. However, the overall reaction of the students attending was positive. "It was interesting to see where [Coffman's] company is going in terms of America's stance for defense," Engineering senior Thom Witherspoon noted. Coffman was invited to Penn as part of the Wharton Management Club's Distinguished Speakers Series.