Management Shortage For Your Company In 2020? Consider These 4 Points.
Image from kornferry.com.
For nearly two decades, the United States has spearheaded the post-9/11 War on Terror throughout the world, and brave American men and women have volunteered to join our Armed Forces and defend our nation’s interests. Today, there are over 3.3 million veterans who chose to serve since September 11, 2001 and amongst them, an even smaller group of patriots who chose to lead.
U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, deploy to the Middle East on JAN 1, 2020. 3,500 Paratroopers will be deployed this week, as elements of the Immediate Response Force, into the CENTCOM area of operations. Photo credit: fayobserver.com.
Whether in training or in war, the military’s noncommissioned and commissioned officers always maintain a higher standard — to champion disciplined cultures, optimize diverse talent groups, take decisive action, and accomplish results. Their leadership philosophies are deeply rooted in alignment to the values of their respective services: for the Army is the seven values spelled out by the acronym LDRSHIP; Navy and Marine Corps is Honor, Courage, and Commitment; and Air Force is Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do.
Even at a young age, a 22-year old Army Second Lieutenant is groomed with the mindset that as the leader of her platoon (or team), she is ultimately responsible and accountable for everything her team does or fails to do.
Military Values of our Armed Forces.
Naturally, these type of leaders would be a hot commodity for businesses in Corporate America, as every year there are about 200,000 veterans that separate from military service (a.k.a. transitioning veterans). According to a recent LinkedIn Learning survey, 86% of companies rated leadership training as “urgent” or “priority” for their employees. 85% of these executives were not confident in their leadership pipelines. Unemployment is still a steady sub 4%, hence competition for A-player operators is extremely tight.
In many circumstances, however, these transitioning veterans have not been the right answer for private sector companies today. Statistics show that 65% of veterans leave their first civilian job in less than 24 months and are overall unhappy with their first few corporate roles. This stems from the poor transition preparation, general lack of self-awareness, and unanticipated cultural struggles for many transitioning vets. The learning curve is steep for these newly transitioned veterans to reconstruct their identities from being warriors to value-adding employees and business operators.
But don’t throw out the baby with the bath water, yet. In my humble opinion, I believe veterans have the best leadership profiles on the planet, as they’ve actually experienced leadership at an early age. They’ve seen what “right looks like” and many have lived, failed, and rebuilt their leadership/management philosophies in real life, even in combat. Consider the following suggestions below, from an Army Veteran who’s lived on both ends of the spectrum:
First, commit to hiring veterans. Not only is this the right thing to do, your company will benefit tremendously. Their values-based leadership and “get it done” mindset will energize your company and culture from Day 1. Recall when you last worked for an amazing boss, one who would motivate and inspire you to give it your best every day. It’s like that. These high-performers will also hire more high-performers (other veterans) who are all looking to commit to something bigger again. To top it off, hiring veterans is a Diversity & Inclusion initiative and companies even receive tax benefits per veteran hire.
Set expectations that not all veterans are the same — so don’t treat all veterans the same. Not everyone is a great leader. Not everyone is an above-average performer. As mentioned in the article above, some have held years of successful leadership roles in service, while others were just bad managers. There are also those who were mechanics, supply clerks, recruiters, cooks, etc. who may not have had any management experience. Seek to hire veterans based off of what the individual has done add value to the team and drive results. Hear their individual stories and bring in people to help interpret them.
If you’ve been burned by hiring transitioning vets (those recently separated from service), then stop searching for them. Your corporate culture and systems probably aren’t established to properly onboard them. Training transitioning vets requires patience, as there is a substantial paradigm shift one must endure to assimilate into a civilian work force — yes, I know from personal experience. They will soon, however, quickly out-pace their peers.
Instead, perhaps you should consider recruiting veterans who are beyond their transition years from military service, think 3+ years. Not only are they established in their civilian careers by now, they’ve mentally adjusted to the private sector and understand what value they can bring to a team. (and yes, you are still eligible for those tax credits for hiring these veterans!)
Follow our LinkedIn page for more news, information, and stories of kick ass veteran managers and operators. At least once a month, we will highlight a successful veteran leader who has also found success in the private sector as a business leader. We’ll dig deep to find out their backgrounds and personal stories of grit, humility, and courage, to overcome adversity and win, both in the military and business world. These will be fun!
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MilSpec Capital is a boutique recruitment group that connects High-Impact Veterans to our client companies in various industries. Our Veterans typically have 5-15 years of private sector experience, in addition to their successful track record of Leadership.
Freddie is a West Point grad, Kellogg MBA, and former Green Beret who’s served in conflicts world-wide. He is the founder of MilSpec Capital.
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