Impressed with our Service Men & Women

I have always admired young people who have served their country and if I have a chance, shake their hand and thank them. I found this article on Linked In and while it is American it also reflects on our Australian Service people as real and experienced leaders. (The One Eyed View)

Why You Should Hire Military Veterans

By Gregory Pings

Leaders do more than point. They are as much a part of the journey as are the men and women entrusted to their care. Followers do more than obey. Their ability to improvise keeps projects (and missions) on target and on budget. Teams are more than a group of people with a label. Teammates instinctively understand that success is assured when they are able to rely upon each other.

Even if these traits describe your employees, it’s likely that you could use a few more. The next time you sort through a pile of job applications, be sure to flag the resumes that include military service.

Military veterans understand the value of good leadership as well as the value of good followership. They also understand the paradox of the great leaders who serve the people they lead.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notes that veterans display these intangible traits, and a few others that are quite a bit more tangible:

“Veterans have been trained in multiple types of occupations that involve information technology, customer service, business management, sales, operations, and many more. Military experience fosters great respect for procedures, and Veterans are never afraid to tackle tough problems to reach results.”

The next time you talk to a veteran, present the following questions: “What is the one big lesson you learned from serving your country? How does it help you in business?”

I put those questions to some military veterans who work at Xerox. Here are their answers.

· One big lesson: Work hard and stay physically fit. This helps me in business because I strive to get the job done right the first time by putting in the time and effort to do so. And I rarely have an unscheduled day off due to illness. (Craig Siefert, U.S. Air Force – Risk Credit Analyst)

· I have been a lot of places, and what I have learned is not to take ANYTHING for granted. I appreciate the smallest gestures, I am thankful for what I have, where I have been and who I have met along the way. It makes me keep a smile on my face even when I don’t feel like smiling. I can type for days so I will leave it at that. (Annette VanNoy, U.S. Army – Trainer, Learning and Development)

· Teamwork. You count on the person next to you, and know they are counting on you. (James D. Feliciano,U.S. Marines – Service Engagement Manager)

· Lessons learnt – Take pride in what you do, your cog in the big machine matters! Value teamwork, and have the courage to face challenges with gusto! All of these lessons transfer to business and family and friends and … (Andy Machin, Royal Engineers, British Army – Learning and Development Manager)

· Teamwork matters. People matter. Trust matters. ‘Would you trust your life to the people you work with?’ ‘I do so every day. What’s your point?’ (Steven Tryon,Rotary Wing Aviator, U.S. Army – Quality Assurance)

· I learned leadership. I also learned that no matter what obstacles you face, keep going. (John Smigle, Combat Medic, U.S. Army – Senior Help Desk Agent)

· I have been to multiple global destinations. (Hot spots, not of a vacation nature.) Worked in a few commercial enterprises during my civilian career, and have learned many things over the years. As Marines, our mantra is, and will always be, Honor, Courage, Commitment. I have to say though, that the one thing that I carry with me in business is the drive to provide solid leadership and always strive for mission accomplishment. (Jim Mangus,U.S. Marine Corps – Cloud Sales Executive)

· If I had to pick the one big lesson learned during my service to our country and Corps, it would be the tradition of “accomplishing the mission at all costs” and then “taking care of your people.” This helped me tremendously in my civilian transition and work performance, by allowing me to display genuine concern and empathy for those employees under my trust and care. To this day I try to walk the walk and talk the talk of accomplishing the mission, and then rewarding employees for an excellent job. (Joseph C. Chiles, U.S. Marine Corps – Director, Compliance and Governance)

· Loyalty, Duty, Honesty, Respect and Integrity aren’t mere words. These are fundamental traits of who I strive to be in life, and in business. (Mark Christman, U.S. Army Reserves – Senior Solutions Architect)

· I served as an officer in the Marine Corps in the 80′s and early 90′s. The thing I’ve carried with me from my time in the service is that a leader’s No. 1 job is to take care of the people they are responsible for, and treat them as well as they possibly can. Coach, don’t criticize, and lead by example. If leaders can do those few things well, their team will almost always come through for them on every task that’s put in front of them. (Craig Deaton, U.S. Marines Corps – Assistant Vice President, Recruiting Operations)

To all the men and women around the world who have served in their countries’ uniformed military services: May the life lessons you’ve learned serve you well today, and all the days of your life.