Managers with military experience: What they bring to business
Business is a competition requiring two fundamentals, people and technology. Both of which work together and constantly change in pursuit of success. Accustomed to these fluid business dynamics are those men and women that have served in the military.
"...even at basic training, basic officer training, people coming in understand that resiliency is part of who we are."
~ Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg
COMMUNICATING A PLAN
Those with military experience have a clear understanding and knowledge of what it takes to work in a team. In fact, not working in a team feels like an awkward experience for these people. The Navy, Army and Air Force, despite being independent services, only function as an effective Defence Force when working as a collective. It is this 'team' precept that supports communication of a strategic plan down through to its tactical application.
So how do those in uniform do it? Firstly, missions are received as a collective 'Unit' or team responsibility. Managers then translate this into individual responsibilities that are assigned and identified through a set of processes. These processes are acknowledged by the entire team, which helps each team member see how they've contributed to the mission overall. It also provides an avenue for managers to measure performance of independent processes, and gives other team members the opportunity help out on tasks they haven't been assigned.
In a corporate organisation, the mission is usually derived at the board level. However strategic plans can struggle to resonate at the tactical level, this is largely due to a disconnect at the manager position. When things aren't working well in the military, there is a self-conscious process adopted by the team and manager. This process is a continuous one of defining the problem space and knowing what needs to be done to improve the situation.
The imperative at any manager position is to analyse the cause-and-effect of a specified task or decision — a process that military managers practice routinely. This means that the direct or obvious impacts, as well and the peripheral or surrounding impacts, of a mission need to be analysed. Unless this process of analysis is conducted, it becomes very difficult for executives and managers to understand the consequences of a plan they are developing for their organisation. Once managers are aware of this, planning becomes methodical in order of hierarchy starting with 1st level consequences, then 2nd level, and so-on until the tactical application of a strategic plan becomes visible to all levels in the organisation.
AGILITY & ADAPTABILITY
Having a travel bag constantly packed in the closet is foreign to most of us, but with the chance of being relocated at short-notice to an unknown location, it becomes the norm. Being able to absorb significant change is a rare characteristic in people. Businesses are aware of this and take great care in their 'change management' plans to avoid the potential costs incurred with corporate change. People with military experience are accustomed to accepting changes to their environment, and rather than making comparisons to their former position, they are hard-wired to develop the operational effectiveness in their new area. In any organisation, a person's resilience and adaptability to change is an important quality. Why is it important? In business, changes occur frequently and are often reactive to the market and its competitors. Having people that are highly attuned to managing individual change can be a business' distinctive capability that separates them from their competitors, especially when considering the costs of attrition and recruitment in a growing business.
CONFLICT & CO-OPERATION
You can call it "market share" or "strategic initiative", both business and military definitions are engaged in a competition with an enemy that threatens their survival. Where businesses partner with former adversaries to gain a greater market share, militaries form alliances to grow in strength. While these comparisons relate to the strategic nature of businesses and militaries, there are tactical qualities that military managers possess which also represent similarities to managers in business. A distinct characteristic of a military manager is being able to resolve conflict and create co-operative behaviour. In business, this is often the case with managing negotiations with "clients" in a meeting room or over coffee. In contrast, military managers conduct similar meetings and negotiations in less helpful environments.
In general, the military equips its people with an understanding that conflicts are rarely personal, instead they are a consequence of reviewing a process or decision. More often than not, process or decision based conflicts are negotiated to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of an operating environment. In business, these constructive conflicts equate to dollars and cents, in a military environment they can equate to much more.
EXERCISES & SIMULATION
Businesses rarely engage in rehearsal of plans before pulling the trigger on a new product or service. One reason is that business simulation is not in the budget, but the biggest reason is that outcomes often fail to endorse the plan. Simulation is commonly confused with action planning, the two are different. Action planning takes a specific model and tests the reactions against it. Simulations, rather, look to observe the interplay and dynamics of variables within the operational environment. This type of rehearsal is a daily occurrence for those in the military, where briefs and debriefs respectively prepare and review an exercise and/or operation. Comfort with reviewing a failed plan in simulation helps to develop and achieve a successful one for execution.
ADVANCING WITH A PURPOSE
People with military experience are always in need of a mission that has a purpose. It is usually easier for smaller businesses to engage people that are driven to achieve something, as they can clearly represent what the common goal or objective is. Larger organisations often struggle to keep this kind of talent due to a lost mission. Corporate organisations can capitalise on this inherent military behaviour by engaging these managers that pursue mission-focused leadership. By doing this, organisations concentrate on achieving their strategic visions through a process of developing tactical application. With managers that are mission-focused, organisations can rely on a collective thought-process that helps build a community of people that share a common purpose.
THE UPSHOT
Every year in Australia, over two thousand military managers transition to the corporate world. The biggest challenge that faces them is communicating their value proposition. Recruitment firms or hiring managers often possess preconceived notions as to what the military is and isn't, which can be difficult to get beyond. For those in the Defence Force that are looking to swap the uniform for a suit and tie, take stock in the inherent skills-set that you possess as being a product of your environment. While there are particular industries that appear to be more accommodating to those with a Service background, all business industries survive with managing two fundamentals that are core to the military: People and Technology.
If you're a recruitment specialist or hiring manager, I encourage you to share this post amongst your network and capitalise on the thousands of people that leave the military each year. If you're a military member, share this blog with your personal network and help communicate your value to the corporate world.