Bridging The Military and Civilian Worlds
Sharing content on lessons that businesses can learn from the military to help those leaving the military and those who hire them
Henry Dyson, COO of P&C at Lockton, and a former Captain in the 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment describes the relevance of Adaptive Leadership and other military behaviors to the world of risk management:
https://www.locktoninternational.com/articles/what-risk-managers-can-learn-military
Eric Barker shares insights from James Waters on the actions that are necessary for success as a SEAL Platoon Commander - all great behaviors for all of us to model:
Click here for more on each of these and examples of how they manifested themselves in James' career.
You may already have seen this video of Admiral McRaven's commencement speech at UT on May 17, 2014 – if not, I strongly suggest you watch it (link below).
This week Admiral, now Chancellor, McRaven shared more leadership tips and why these matter in business.
1. When you get to a new job, step up and volunteer for the worst job there. “A shepherd should smell like his sheep,” McRaven said. “Every decision you make as a leader has an impact on your team, all the way to the guy in the boiler room.”
2. Communicate. “As a leader, you have to communicate your intent at all times,” McRaven said. “It’s easy to be liked as a leader, but you want to be respected. That’s hard.”
3. Good teamwork is paramount. “I will take chemistry over talent any day” he said.
More of Chancellor McRaven's advice is here.
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Video of Admiral William McRaven’s commencement address at the University of Texas
Summary of the address:
“If you want to change the world….
1.….start off by making your bed”. The little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right you will never be able to do the big things right. Start each day with a task completed.
2.….find someone to help you paddle”. You can’t change the world alone. You will need someone to help you.
3.…..measure a person by the size of their heart, not by the size of their flippers”. Nothing matters but your will to succeed. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. Respect everyone.
4.…..get over being a Sugar Cookie and keep moving forward .” Sometimes, no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform, you still fail.
5……don’t be afraid of the Circuses.” You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core. Don’t let that deter you.
6…..sometimes you have to slide down the obstacles head first.” Take risks.
7…..don’t back down from the sharks.” The world is full of sharks and bullies and you will have to deal with them.
8……you must be your very best in the darkest moments.” The darkest moment of the mission is the time when you must be calm and composed.
9……start singing when you are up to your neck in mud.” One person can change the world by giving people hope.
10….don’t ever, ever ring the bell.” Don’t give up. Ever.
"Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up. If you do these things, then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and, what started here will indeed have changed the world; for the better."
Kevin Dougherty, CEO of Barnacle Parking Enforcement writes in Entrepreneur Magazine about the '5 Things Being a Marine Taught Me About Being An Entrepreneur'.
Kevin's 5 Five Insights Are:
1. Do More With Less. Necessity is the mother of invention, as much for a marine with a small shovel and some rope as it is for an entrepreneur in a cash strapped start up.
2. Adapt and Overcome. Overcome obstacles by taking responsibility and figuring out a way through or around them.
3. Luck Favors the Prepared. Planning and preparation are always important but become critical in a dynamic environment. As Eisenhower once said "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable."
4. Don't Be a Jerk. Take the gloves off when you have to but, when you don't, being polite and courteous goes a long way and helps in building teams.
5. In the Absence of Leadership, Find the Enemy and Kill Them. Whatever the problem that needs solving or the mission to be accomplished all actions must be channeled towards that outcome.
The full article is here:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/284677
In a LinkedIn post, Chris Nassetta, President and CEO at Hilton Worldwide announced that Hilton has achieved the goal of Operation: Opportunity - to hire 10,00 veterans - two years early.
He goes on to share five important lessons that Hilton has learned along the way that all business can learn from
Identify Common Ground - there is a huge amount of overlap between the skills needed to be successful in military and civilian roles but companies need to take the time to explain and discuss them.
Provide Tailored Resources & Support - harder for small companies but even small gestures go a long way.
Short and Long Term Opportunities - the long term opportunity may or may not be with the first employer after service. Either way there should be a plan.
Family Matters - as it should for any employer but more so for spouses who are the "hidden heroes" of military service. Hilton counts hiring military spouses in their target of hiring 10,000.
Veterans Are Invaluable Assets - and last but not least, Hilton is not just 'doing the right thing', the company benefits hugely from the character and values that military veterans bring with them - even more so because of the way in which Hilton helps in the transition.
The full blog and accompanying video is here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-weve-learned-from-hiring-10000-veterans-hilton-chris-nassett
Nick Gasson, of Venturexec writes from the perspective of an executive recruiter about the importance of 'strength of character' without which it is hard to clearly see the actions that need to be taken to improve a company.
Nick writes about:
as qualities that service personnel tend to have and why they lift the performance of any team and how the combination of these qualities and 'Mission Command' lead to operational excellence.
The full LinkedIn post (and some great comments) is here: Why Ex Military People are an Asset to your Company
Steven Broudy, a former US Army Ranger writes in Business Insider about the necessity for clear and direct communication in the military. He notes that being too direct in the workplace is often one of the stumbling blocks for those transitioning from the military but is also an opportunity for companies to improve the clarity and directness of communications. Getting the right balance and setting the context is how.
The full article is here: the challenges and importance of Radical Candor
This weekend the NY Post published an article about navy veteran Mike Schlinder's upcoming book "US Veteran's in the Workforce: Why the 7 Percent are America's Greatest Asset". The article outlines the 6 reasons every employer should hire veterans:
The full article is here and the book can be purchased here.
Naphtali Hoff (@impactfulcoach), an executive coach and consultant, interviewed Bill Sandbrook, CEO of US Concrete (@usconcrete) and a military veteran who has reenergized the company since taking the helm in 2011.
Hoff's interview offers a great example of the behavior and characteristics that veterans possess and the importance of these in business.
In the interview Sandbrook talks about the importance of:
Hoff also talks about Sandbrook's response to 9/11 and the way in which it mirrored his military training and experience.
Well worth a read - the full article is here:
A great LinkedIn post by Accenture CEO, Pierre Nanterme in which he draws on his time as an Alpine Commando in the French Army
Read MoreSpeaking at an innovation symposium at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab last month, Marine Commandant, General Robert Neller, took aim at military and political bureaucracy and urged leaders to better understand and encourage Marines who think outside the box but who are often viewed as troublemakers.
Read MoreToday is Mike Malarsie's '6th Day Alive'. As Mike explains in his blog today, " it’s the anniversary of the day that I should have died but didn’t". Mike remembers his comrades who did not return and reflects on the ways in which his life has changed having set out to lead a life of which his comrades would be proud.
Read MoreThe Army Times reported today that Sergeant Major of the Army, Dan Dailey, is compiling a list of ‘must read’ books on leadership based on recommendations from soldiers. It is interesting to note that most of the books submitted are written by or for business leaders, reflecting the significant overlap between factors leading to excellence in the military and in business.
Read MoreHelping military personnel transition to civilian life through thought leadership
