Bottom-line Lesson

IB&M majors reap rewards from Harsco CEO's leadership lecture

April 17, 2007

From left, Harsco Corp. CEO Derek Hathaway congratulates Dickinson seniors Pablo Thaler, Jennifer Bruneau and Kevin Oreskovich for their report on Hathaway's lecture to IB&M students last fall.

Like any experienced and successful business leader, Derek Hathaway knows the value of teamwork, financial rewards and leading by example. So when the chief executive officer of Harsco Corp. paid a visit to Dickinson College last fall, he offered business students more than a lecture.

As he headed for campus on Nov. 16 to speak to 40 international business & management (IB&M) students, Hathaway decided to offer a total of $3,500 in cash awards from his personal funds to the students who wrote the best three summaries of his comments. His visit was part of a senior seminar in strategy for IB&M majors.

"I have never made an offer of that type before," Hathaway said after meeting last month with the three seniors—Kevin Oreskovich, Jennifer Bruneau and Pablo Thaler—at Harsco's headquarters near Camp Hill.

After listening to Hathaway describe the qualities that define successful strategic leadership, the students were asked to submit reports on the lecture. Michael Fratantuono, associate professor of international studies and IB&M, and David Sarcone, assistant professor of IB&M, selected the top six essays and sent them to Hathaway and his fellow executives for review. The Harsco team narrowed the field to three and asked the writers to take their best ideas and weave them into a single report.

"Essential" business model

"Communication and teamwork are essential in the world of business," said Hathaway, whose company is a global leader in the industrial-services field. "By my request, I was hoping to reinforce that idea."

Hathaway's ultimate goal was to give the students a real-life lesson they would remember.

"First, a key theme of my presentation was that a good leader must listen, evaluate and act," Hathaway said. "My offer, which was announced to the students before I began my talk, provided a model of that process.

"Second, with respect to incentives, I believe in linking rewards to jobs that have been well performed," he added. "Third, I have often visited colleges and universities to talk about Harsco and about leadership. Sometimes I have encountered groups of students who are not attentive or appear half asleep. Thus, I wanted to ensure that my time—which is very valuable, as reflected in the compensation I receive for service as CEO of Harsco—was effectively used."

A lesson learned

Thaler, who plans to teach or work in the field of international development, said Hathaway succeeded in making his point.

"I believe Mr. Hathaway's words and advice will remain imprinted in my mind as I pursue my career [and] positions of leadership," Thaler said. "His insight and pragmatism are remarkable, and I will cherish what I learned for countless years."

Oreskovich, who wants to enter the financial-services industry, said Hathaway's discussion "has solidified for me the characteristics that are necessary to succeed as a strategic leader. Most importantly, he helped me to understand the necessity to listen and learn at all times while maintaining humility toward everyone with whom I work in the future."

Bruneau, a French and IB&M major, already has a job lined up this summer in global-portfolio management at Bank of America's London office. She said Hathaway's discussion fits in with her goals.

"It was a truly wonderful opportunity to meet someone with as much business experience and expertise as Mr. Hathaway," she said. "He shed interesting light on the challenges of working internationally—mostly those that arise from cultural differences—and talked about the importance of making judgments, loyalty and strong character in the business world. As I enter and look to excel in the business world I will certainly keep all of this in mind."

In their joint report on the lecture, the three students drove their point home by focusing on Hathaway's automotive analogy to success.

"From making judgments to driving the vision of an organization to creating loyalty among all involved with the company, selfless, informed leadership translates to a winning strategy for successful organizations," the trio wrote. "As simply stated by Mr. Hathaway, 'Do not be seduced by success. Be humble, deflate your own ego and keep your hands on the wheel.' "