Today's article from NPR about veterans and the job market is a bummer for many reasons. It's sad to learn that any group has higher unemployment than the larger population. And it's especially senseless to hear that those with so much to offer are being passed over because of misperception. Business is robbing itself of talent by ignoring these folks.
This is not flag-waving. This is practical. As a 1/2 veteran-owned company (and 100% military brats), we think a lot about the lessons of military leadership. The culture of teamwork and accountability cultivated by the post-Vietnam military has produced organizational thinking to rival any business schools. Check out the Marine Leadership Principals. One of our favorite examples, the idea that every team member has a responsibility to know and communicate the mission, has been a steadfast north star for our hiring practices.
Marketers like to sell their service as magic. In a creative business, it's a natural reaction to bristle at the idea of military command and control. And in many cases it doesn't make sense to the creative process. But marketing's fetishization of the "rock star" employee robs it of the institutional accountability created by high-functioning teams. Military training is not wired to deliberately stifle the individual, as some believe. It's designed to empower individuals in a world that pivots on a well-worn truth. We need each other to do great things.
Soldiers know this more than anybody. So hire one.
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