Richard G. Ellenberger is the president and CEO of national communications powerhouse Broadwing Inc. He oversees the operation of the $5 billion company and its 6,400 employees, deftly handles its shareholders, and ensures the satisfaction of customers from coast to coast.

Wallace G. Haislip is the senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Scientific-Atlanta, an international cable-equipment manufacturing firm with $2.5 billion in sales, 5,000 employees, and offices and representatives in 70 countries.

But despite their obvious abilities and success in the daunting environs of the boardroom, both men agree the toughest job they ever had was in the classroom.

"The hardest thing I've ever done," said Haislip, "is stand up in front of 30 bright kids teaching them geometric theories. If you can do that, then Wall Street is no problem."

Both Haislip, who received a bachelor's degree in math education from Old Dominion in 1971, and Ellenberger, a 1975 graduate with a bachelor's in distributive education, began their careers as teachers. And while they don't stand at a blackboard in front of a group of kids anymore, they most assuredly still consider themselves educators.

Haislip, who has been with Scientific-Atlanta 11 years, majored in math because he had a talent for analytical-type work. His plan was to attend law school, but somewhere along the way he became intrigued with the idea of teaching as a career. Following his graduation from Old Dominion, where he served as student body president his senior year, Haislip taught math for two years at Norfolk's Lake Taylor High School.

"I think it's extremely rewarding to be able to transfer knowledge from yourself to somebody else," he said. "It's not easy and it takes a lot of practice and skill to do it well."

Although teaching was satisfying, Haislip began to yearn for new and different challenges that utilized his analytical skills.

He was recruited for General Electric's financial management training program and spent 17 years in various financial management positions within the company, including stints as finance manager for the Government Electronic Systems Division, corporate auditor and financial analyst.

In 1990, Haislip joined Scientific-Atlanta, where he occupied a series of key financial and operations positions before assuming his current post. Most recently, he served as president of Worldwide Services, where he was responsible for establishing the company's Advanced Broadband System Services affiliate. Haislip also was vice president of finance for the company's broadband cable television businesses, had the lead role in the planning and start-up of the company's Juarez, Mexico, manufacturing facility, and implemented its Shared Business Services organization.

"What seems like an odd way to end up as a CFO gave me the foundation for my career," Haislip said about teaching. "Teaching is a very important part of running a company and it's an extremely important element of any leadership position. Even as a CFO, you also have to be a mentor."

Ellenberger agrees.

"The skills I learned in the classroom are skills that, today, I still think are my strongest," he said.

Originally a business major, Ellenberger switched to the distributive education curriculum after getting involved in Free University, a student-founded program that offered noncredit, tuition-free courses with no tests or grades.

"I was invited to different universities to talk about the concept," recalled Ellenberger, who was also a member of the student government. "Having been involved in those education circles, I started to get interested in teaching."

Following graduation, he spent six months setting up education programs to teach job skills in rural areas around Virginia, and for the next three years taught distributive education - sales, marketing, etc. - at Goochland High School, west of Richmond.

"I think the thing I enjoyed the most was interacting with the students. For me, it was an opportunity to hone skills that I continue to use - how to get information to a group of people in a way that they will listen and take action," he said.

When he began teaching, Ellenberger set a three-year goal to get the distributive education program up and running and then pursue a career in business. Following his years at Goochland, he worked in sales for a number of companies before joining MCI in an entry-level sales position.

At MCI, Ellenberger quickly got on the fast track to success. He held positions as vice president of the southeast region, senior vice president of branch operations and senior vice president of worldwide sales. As president of MCI's largest business unit, Business Services, he was responsible for $8 billion in revenue and managed more than 10,000 employees.

Ellenberger also served as CEO of XL/Connect, a technical services company, before joining Cincinnati Bell as president and CEO in 1997. Two years after taking the helm, he led the company's acquisition of IXC Communications to create Broadwing Inc., which provides cutting-edge Internet, data, voice and information technology solutions to businesses nationwide.

According to Ellenberger, all he needed to know to be successful in the boardroom he learned in front of a classroom.

"Many of the skills [to be a good business leader] come from teaching - communicating expectations and plans; how to watch my audience to see when I'm hitting home with my message; how to motivate. It's a skill set that I see in other CEOs."

He observed, "Every group dynamic has similar characters playing similar roles. In the classroom, you have students who are total supporters, disrupters, quiet types. Working in the boardroom, I'm faced with many of the same players."

Through their work and community commitments, Ellenberger and Haislip continue to make education a priority in their lives. This dedication to education even extends to their families: Ellenberger's oldest daughter wants to be an elementary school teacher, and both Haislip's wife and daughter are Spanish teachers.

"As far as I'm concerned," notes Haislip, "it's still the hardest job I ever had."