What Type Of Person Thrives In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, According To An Associate Finance Manager At Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin's Associate Finance Manager highlights a strong work ethic as crucial, noting the need to "drop what you're doing" for high-level requests due to the fast-paced, high-pressure nature of national security projects. Success also hinges on critical thinking skills to process information efficiently and a goal-oriented approach to manage multi-month projects from "start to finish."
Strong Work Ethic, Critical Thinking, Goal-Oriented, Problem-Solving, High-Pressure Environment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Chris Seifert
Associate Finance Manager
Lockheed Martin
CU Boulder
UCLA - MBA
Business Management & Admin
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
Finance
Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. A strong work ethic is crucial due to the fast-paced and high-pressure nature of the industry, often involving critical programs with tight deadlines.
2. Critical thinking skills are essential to effectively process large amounts of information, identify core problems, and find efficient solutions.
3. Goal-oriented individuals who can plan and execute multi-month projects from start to finish are highly successful in this field.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
I would describe him in three ways. The first is having a strong work ethic. We're often working for the government on critical programs related to national security, defense, or going to the moon.
You're at the mercy of the program schedule and don't have the option of not doing something or taking your time. You have to have that strong work ethic and get things done. In my job, especially, I have directors and vice presidents who need an answer right away.
When I first got this job, my manager told me that if a VP emails or messages you, you need to drop what you're doing to help them. It's a very fast-paced, sometimes high-pressure industry and organization.
The second thing is to be a critical thinker. The most successful people are able to take in all this information and think about it in new ways. They can cut to the core of the problem to find a quick and efficient solution. We're often bombarded with information, much of which isn't relevant to the problem at hand.
If you can cut through that and think through what needs to be done, you'll be very successful. Lastly, relating to the first point, you need to be goal-oriented.
There's a lot of multi-month project work. You need to be able to think through how you'll tackle a project from start to finish. People who can do that will be very successful in their jobs.