Transcripts

"Mud, Marines and MBA`s" - Getting Down & Dirty

SUSIE GHARIB: Marine Corps has its own way of instilling confidence in its officer candidates. As Jeff Yastine reports in the final part of his series, "Mud, Marines and MBAs," that same method also pays off for future corporate leaders.

JEFF YASTINE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: These Wharton MBAs will soon head into the down-and-dirty trenches of corporate management. But here, the trenches are real but the exercises are not testing anyone`s physical fitness. They`re designed to get each of these featured executives out of his or her comfort zone, going over obstacles or conquering a fear of heights. Let`s go Jennifer. Let`s go Jennifer. (INAUDIBLE)

YASTINE: We first met Jennifer Stewart two days ago, while she was still in the comfortable confines of the Wharton campus in Philadelphia. Here, real concern as she enters the narrow concrete tube and smiles as she emerges on the other side.

JENNIFER STEWART, MBA STUDENT, WHARTON SCHOOL: I don`t like sticking my head in a tube filled with water, but I did it all. And I had my team to help me and encourage me and motivate me. And there came a time when I just didn`t think I could do it, and they kept me hanging in there and kept me doing it, and I did it. It`s awesome. I`m proud. I`m proud of myself, proud of our team.

MICHAEL USEEM, DIR., CTR. FOR LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MGMT.: The students will often say that that 24 hours provided them more learning about themselves and the leadership talent that they have and still need to improve than just about anything they`ve done here or in life for that matter.

MAJOR DOUGLAS LUCCIO, CO. COMM., OCS, USMC: Our leadership is certainly directed at making decisions when the going`s tough. That applies anywhere. We all have tough situations. So if we can share how we deal with it, maybe once again it`s another perspective they can apply.

YASTINE: But will those lessons be remembered as these MBAs, some of them with jobs already waiting, go off into the business world? Tom Vonreichbauer is headed to a job at Ford Motor.

TOM VONREICHBAUER, WHARTON MBA STUDENT: One of the biggest things that our team learned was making sure that we value each person and the resources and assets that they bring to the table. And I think that`s something that`s equally appropriate in the corporate boardroom. It seems like we all dug a little bit deeper, got ourselves out of that comfort zone. And hopefully, we`re coming out here better leaders. So congratulations to all of you.

YASTINE: Jeff Yastine, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, Quantico, Virginia.