Robert J. Stevens

Robert J. Stevens
Chairman & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Corporate Headquarters: Bethesda, Maryland
Website: www.lockheedmartin.com
Primary Business: Global Security
Revenues: $45.8 billion
Employees: 132,000

2011 CEO in Action

One of the most inspiring things about working at Lockheed Martin is that diversity has real meaning here. We know the nature of our workforce is fundamentally shifting. Talent today is much more multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-gender and multi-generational and we are better and stronger for it.

As a global security leader charged with integrating very large, complex systems, we benefit from the greatest diversity of views in looking at how to solve problems. Diversity is not about numbers. It’s a philosophy of inclusion that gets people to the table early and often, and creates an inviting climate where they are comfortable to offer their ideas. Ideally, those ideas are formed through a very different perspective than the person sitting to their left or right, because that’s the richest environment that we could hope to achieve.

Our job as leaders is to create that climate, which is why we spend so much time on leadership development. If you want to attract the best and brightest talent, you have to put the best leaders in front of them. We’ve worked to embed this philosophy in our culture in a program called Full Spectrum Leadership. We expect our leaders to get results, because we make substantial commitments every day.

And we believe they get the best results when they model behaviors that inspire the workforce and create an environment of inclusion and trust.

Maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment is more than an imperative for success – it’s the right thing to do. In our increasingly demanding global security environment, building innovative teams where everyone feels respected and empowered is absolutely critical.

At Lockheed Martin, we have 132,000 men and women who bring their commitment to excellence and integrity to the workplace every day. They have a bold spirit of creativity, adventure and determination to invent things no one thought possible – and we need every one of them at the table. When the safety of the men and women in our armed forces often depends on our products, and our customer demands a laser-sharp focus on providing innovative yet affordable solutions, we simply need every individual and every group fully engaged. That’s our diversity and inclusion promise

Education: MBA, Columbia University; master’s in engineering and management, Polytechnic University of New York; bachelor’s (summa cum laude), Slippery Rock University
First Job: Paperboy, age 7, McKeesport, Pennsylvania
What I’m Reading: Edmund Morris’s three-part biography of Teddy Roosevelt
My Philosophy: Work hard and smart, be humble, do what’s right.
Best Advice: Always treat people with respect and take responsibility for your actions.
Family: Wife Michelle; sons, John and Brian; dog, Benny (Pekingese)
Interests: Reading, working on the farm
Favorite Charities: Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and Medal of Honor Foundation