Boeing CEO responds to questions

Phil Condit, Chairman and CEO of Boeing, is used to being on the hot seat. With Boeing stumbling to absorb the McDonnell-Douglas merger and faced with production line woes, Condit has faced many critics, from shareholders to Boeing management. On Tues., Oct. 13, though, the tough questions were posed by students at the School of Management (SOM).

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH Boeing CEO Phil Condit imparted his wisdom to the School of Management on Tues., Oct. 13.

Before a packed audience of SOM students and faculty, Condit spoke about his personal philosophies toward work and life. He impressed upon SOM students his belief in three key principles: the ability to think critically, learn, and communicate ideas.

Condit visited SOM in the new "Leader's Forum" lecture series, which will see prominent leaders such as NewsCorp's Rupert Murdoch and Intel's Andy Grove lecture at SOM during the year. SOM Dean Jeffrey E. Garten stated that the goal of the lecture series is to "bring to the school global leaders who will talk not only about professional challenges...but about the real life contexts of leading a major organization."

The high-profile visits are definitely having an effect on SOM. Dean Garten reports that many other CEOs and business leaders are now seeking to speak at SOM. More importantly, at least for the students, the school has formed many important links with major corporations. These connections have paid dividends when it comes time for recruiting. Last year, SOM experienced an 88 percent increase in the number of companies recruiting on campus.

Feedback from SOM students was very positive. The program seems to be paying off, as most students really appreciated the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the world's corporate elite. Vin Zachariah, SOM '99, commented that the lectures are "really great because they focus on personal and philosophical issues...what really drives people." SOM students seemed to agree that the lectures were especially interesting since they focused on personal and philosophical topics rather than classroom topics like economic and business arguments.

The lecture series began last year and hosted guests such as self-made billionaire Warren Buffett. This year, under its new name, the lecture series is "evolving into a permanent part of the SOM landscape," according to Dean Garten.

A unique feature of the lectures is their intimate nature and the interaction that occurs between the students and the guest. The lectures are deliberately unstructured, which allows students to pose questions to the speaker in open manner.

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