One of the hardest transitions a veteran has when returning from active duty is finding a job. What most people do not realize is former military officers make the best CEOs and business leaders. When looking for experienced leadership, turning to a former military officer will help propel your business to the top.
Every military officer is trained specifically through carefully planned training and educational programs that give them first-hand experience in growing and developing their leadership skills. Once placed with a platoon, an officer can be in charge of leading a group of 50 – 100+ soldiers into combat. This hands-on experience isn’t something that can be duplicated in a classroom full of students receiving their MBA.
Former military officers lead by example. They are not afraid to get involved with their team and help improve productivity, employee morale, and employee engagement throughout their office. Officers are looking to set a positive example as well as a positive behavior throughout to improve the organization they are working for. Former military officers are also experts at accepting change due to the unexpected change that can happen during a military planning session. This can allow them to successfully walk an entire office or team within a department through changes happening within the organization.
Officers in CEO positions also excel at coaching and developing their employees throughout the company. They can easily identify those individuals that need additional support as well as those individuals who are excelling in specific roles thanks to the training skills they have developed over time with their military platoon. This also opens up lines of communication which becomes vital to the success of an individual but also a business.
It is also not uncommon for former military officers to be slightly more conservative when it comes to making business decisions or investing in different aspects throughout a business. They have learned how to make tough decisions in extreme conditions, which translates into being able to make tough decisions in the office. They also often outperform their fellow coworkers during the tensest and stressful times in an office setting from their time in combat.
Overall, hiring a military officer to lead your staff should be something to consider when hiring a new CEO. Their leadership ability makes them top candidates during a job search. Their ability to adapt and help develop talent is important to any business. The business world could learn a lot from developing great leaders like the military.