Human resources executives increasingly are turning to a new recruiting and leadership-development resource: former military personnel. Expertise from the armed forces in teamwork, planning and execution is an attractive commodity for companies that are hiring or supplementing in-house training programs.
"There s a lot businesses can learn from how the military executes in what we call a VUCCA environment - volatile, uncertain, complex, chaotic and ambiguous," says Scott Snook, professor of organizational behavior at the Harvard Business School and a retired US Army colonel. "In combat everything is turned on its head. The approach is completely bottom up with a minimum of controls. When people are highly trained with common values, you can decentralize and empower."
Mission-Critical Methodology Helps on the Corporate Battlefield.
Battle-tested methods helped Albertsons Inc. deal with a high-priority project. When the Boise, Idaho-based food and drug retailer bought American Stores Co., a merger that involved combining the operations of two industry leaders with a total of 200,000 employees, planners from both companies had to develop an integration plan in just 90 days.
"We needed to bring functions together, make decisions and move," says Peggy Jones, vice president of human resources for Albertson s Southern California region. When a merger consultant recommended working with Afterburner, a business consulting group of Air Force fighter pilots, Jones thought it was a great idea. "The military s strengths are building trust and teamwork, which is what we needed." Jones requested that female fighter pilots be part of the Afterburner team to make it more inclusive.
At the event, attendees had to plan a mission within a limited time. They learned how to come to consensus quickly and ask for help when they were struggling, reports Jones. Back at work, the planners applied what they learned to the task they needed to accomplish. "They realized the importance of rapid execution and meeting the 90-day timeframe," Jones says.
Military Officers Are Motivated Employees.
Some of the country s biggest name-brand companies - Sears, Home Depot, Enterprise Rent-a-Car - recognize the benefits of military experience and are eager to hire ex-officers and not simply enlist them as consultants. Junior officers are given a level of responsibility in the military far beyond their peers in the corporate world, and this develops character and maturity. "The military nurtures a certain set of values and attitudes, can-do and loyalty, integrity and candor in officers," says Snook.
"When companies hire from the military, they hire again," says Wally Adamchick, a former Marine officer who heads FireStarter Speaking and Consulting in Raleigh, NC "The military of 20 years ago isn t the military of today. You get some incredibly independent thinkers who learn to think on their feet really quickly. That s what companies really value."
That s been true for Sears, recipient of a Secretary of Defense Freedom Award for its strong support of Reserve and National Guard employees. "They have real-life experience and skills that translate well to a corporate environment, including their discipline and work ethic," says Lisa Gibbons, a company spokesperson.
Case in Point: The Home Depot Store Leadership Program.
In the military, officers return to the classroom before every major career transition. This approach has been emulated by Home Depot, which offers a two-year Store Leadership Program, based on a similar program developed by CEO Bob Nardelli when he led GE Power Systems.
Requirements for acceptance are four to ten years of experience in business management or as a commissioned military officer, a qualification seldom seen in help-wanted ads. The program features a mix of on-the-job training, classroom instruction and mentoring. In 2004, the company hired 16,000 veterans; since SLP began in 2002, 529 junior military officers have completed it.
"Generally speaking, we have found that these men and women have tremendous transferable experience because they have been put in a position where they have had to deliver results and where they must act strategically as well as tactically," says Tim Crow, senior vice president, organization, talent and performance systems at Home Depot.
"In addition, many of the former military individuals we hire have been in leadership positions," Cros says. These qualities transfer nicely into any corporation. The key is to understand the culture you are transitioning into, so you can use your skills to your advantage."
Leadership Has a Softer Side.
Leading under the most adverse conditions enhances military officers credibility. "When he [Wally Adamchick of FireStarter] talks about leadership, you know he knows what he s talking about because he s been there and done it and the concepts translate. We don t want our employees to think they re in a military training program, but they respond to his honesty and integrity," says Dan Braun, vice president for human resources at Colas, an international road construction company in Morristown, N.J., where Adamchick leads management training sessions.
Being an effective leader doesn t mean behaving like a drill sergeant. In fact, contrary to stereotypes, commanders freely give positive feedback, says Adamchick. To Rob "Waldo" Waldman, a former decorated Air Force fighter pilot and president of The Patriot Group in Atlanta, the test of a leader is whether subordinates feel comfortable asking for advice and confiding problems.
Adamchick encourages managers to speak openly about organizational values and culture, something he finds is often lacking in the business world. It is a lesson that companies appear to be learning, given the proliferation of corporate mission and values statements.
Selling Military Skills to Salespeople Can Make a Difference.
Military officers often work with sales organizations. Like soldiers, salespeople need to be highly motivated and handle high-pressure situations where their jobs, if not their lives, are on the line. Ex-military officers from elite units are popular speakers at sales meetings. They put on high-energy shows, sometimes with dramatic special effects, to fire up the "troops" and share their experiences in combat and dangerous missions.
"Salespeople need to be inspired," says Jason Martinez, sales representative for LandAmerica Commonweath Title, a title insurance company based in Richmond, Va. "It gives us the passion we need to win over customers." Martinez was inspired by watching military videos and hearing the experiences of Waldman s at a seminar for his company s sales force.
"Waldo is very real and it comes from his military experience. He taught us how fighter pilots prepare for missions. They mentally rehearse the scenario over and over again. I ve got 10 minutes to convince a prospect that I m their salesperson. The power of preparation fuels my confidence and helps me succeed," says Martinez.
Waldman believes "if you re not prepared mentally, it s impossible to win in reality." He teaches clients to envision any possible mistakes and keep practicing until they can handle the situation without a hitch.
About the Author
Elaine Gottlieb is a freelance writer in Cambridge, Mass. She writes about workplace and business issues, health and technology. Elaine regularly contributes to Workforce Insights, an online resource about emerging labor trends and issues produced by Veritude.
About Veritude
The article originally appeared in Workforce Insights on Veritude.com. Veritude provides strategic human resources - the talent, technology and tactics that growing firms need in order to anticipate and adapt to changes in the workplace. Veritude is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity Investments. Headquartered in Boston, the company serves clients throughout the United States and Canada and is part of Fidelity s ongoing investment and leadership in outsourced HR services. To review other articles, research and expert analysis relevant to HR professionals seeking to stay informed, please visit www.veritude.com. For more information, contact: inquiry@veritude.com or call:1-800-597-5537.
