Bar chats about leadership - exceptional military leaders transitioning to corporate leadership roles

It must be a daunting experience for a military leader (and varies by military branch) when they transition to a leadership role in the private sector – so many changes to deal with - organization structure/hierarchy, mindset, mission, decision making process, consequences, risks, career pathing, job / financial security, and even training and development. How does an exceptional military leader make the transition to the corporate world and continue leading exceptionally?

“Military leaders are often assigned to largely civilian organizations, for the first time, late in their careers. Once there, they may see a need for change or are directed to make change in these organizations. They assume that they can apply all the same lessons they have learned about operating in or effectively leading organizations of purely military service members. Unless the military leader understands the civilian workforce subculture this transition can be especially difficult for both the organization and the military leader.” - Leading Change: Military - Leadership in Civilian Organizations”, by Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Wittig, United States Army - https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA561960.pdf

I had the opportunity to explore this topic with SN, a 20+ year US Army leader who transitioned to civilian/corporate roles in 2007. Recognizing that each miliary branch may have a different approach to leadership* - SN offered a fascinating firsthand account of the process.

SN is one of the 15 leaders (of the 40) I interviewed and categorize as exceptional (please refer to my definition in my first post). SN impressed me from the moment I met him. He takes the responsibility of leadership VERY seriously, has a calm demeanor while at the same time you can feel his passion and commitment to his organization, team and to solving big complex problems. ?

He told me about the leaders (military and private sector) who shaped his leadership style and the qualities that he witnessed, adopted and holds as sacred. As with most of the exceptional leaders I met, SN is a keen observer of leadership qualities, and when he finds a quality he admires, he finds a way to make it his own.

A bit about SN:

-????? 17+ years in corporate leadership roles, mostly operations & technology

-????? Now Chief Technology Officer for global food distribution company

-????? Served 20+ years in the US Army, retired as rank of Major in 2007

-????? Based in Texas (a Georgia native)

-????? DE&I leader with his current organization

-????? Board member for several tech focused non-profits

-????? Mentor with the US National Guard's young adult program

His favorite cocktail/mocktail – the VERY delicious and versatile Old Fashioned– the name is shorthand for an “old-fashioned style whiskey cocktail”. In the 1800s a “cocktail” meant any combination of spirit, sweetener, and bitters (back then it was medicinal tonics made by doctors). Today’s Old Fashioned is a recreation of that original cocktail with modern ingredients (thank goodness!)

See link for more fun facts on the history of the Old Fashioned along with recipes.

https://abarabove.com/recipe/old-fashioned-recipe/

2 key leaders who shaped SN’s leadership style

Anne- Former unit commander: consistent, authentic, empowering, decisive

“Anne was my unit commander for almost 3 years. This is a key role as they are responsible for their soldiers and the mission. Anne had a profound impact on my development as a young officer…and I held onto many of the qualities I learned from her when I moved to civilian roles. Anne was a straight shooter, hard-nosed, authentic, candid, no-frills, honest, very focused, and decisive in her actions…. In short, Anne was very commanding.

She had a mix of 5 key leadership qualities – clarity on her expectations, clear on her communications, consistency with her behavior -the Anne that showed up on Monday was the same person on Friday, and while she didn’t have the highest degree of empathy, it was there and it was enough, considering her role and mission. She knew what it was like to walk in my shoes, and she allowed me to learn through my mistakes.

We did a lot of high-speed trainings … trainings that mimic real world situations … there’s a lot of pressure and demand on the individuals and team because we are being stressed and tested on how we operate as a collective unit… During these trainings, Anne gave us the space to work through our mistakes … her mode of operating was ‘life is the best teacher of lessons’. She often said, “it’s your face you’re going to fall on … I trust you however, you’re going to have to deal with the consequences – the good and the bad!”. ?At the same time, she provided guidance and gave you leeway to develop your own way of doing things…. so long as we accomplished the mission.

Anne also knew how to empower people. This was a big deal for me and a quality I’ve held onto to this day.

Until Anne, I was not aware of what good leadership looked like … the irony is that at first, we didn’t get along and people’s perception of her what that she was difficult and abrasive but once I grew to trust her, my admiration of her solidified and I started to adopt many of her qualities.

Reflecting on her supposed abrasiveness, she really wasn’t… back then, there were not many female commanders… Anne had to exert her leadership to get the same response…she had to speak louder.

Even though I’ve made many of her qualities my own, I still find myself asking “What would Anne do in this or that situation?”

Phil – tech leader /former boss in the private sector:?knowledgeable, empathetic, inclusive

“Phil was one of my first corporate technology leaders- he and Anne share many qualities but Phil was a very different type of leader, He was not as hard charging (it’s understandable as we were not in the military), he was a more relaxed easy going person? …at the same time highly focused, a great communicator, extremely knowledgeable technically, and made you accountable.? Like Anne, Phil was all about empowerment – for you to be responsible for your areas… he would say “go off and do great things”.? I found this very motivating. I recall Phil had a wonderful way of adjusting how much slack he gave you depending on the situation.? ?

What stood out most - Phil’s high degree of empathy - a very people-oriented person - he would take the time to understand people, how they felt, he would get them to weigh in, he would find a way to pull it out of them., Phil was all about giving people a voice. We were dealing many high-pressure projects. Phil would go to bat for us.?He would find a way to get us more money, resources, or time. I knew how this made me feel and so I was committed to being a Phil-like kind of leader. Because of Phil, I upped my level of empathy to be a more team oriented leader. I want my team to have a voice.”

SN told me that when he hires, he looks for individuals with natural leadership qualities - “I seek out folks who are strong communicators, who can get in the room and influence others, provide purpose, direction, and motivation to help accomplish the mission and improve the organization…this is actually the military definition of leadership.”* (see below)

My chat with SN revealed that exceptional leaders find a way to stay exceptional despite the changes in culture, structure, and mission. I am also impressed with the impact one exceptional leader can have on the people around them. ?I think about all the other SN’s who have been impacted by Unit Commander Anne and Technical Leader Phil, and the many who are now being shaped by SN. It’s for this reason I continue to write about exceptional leadership. My hope is that these stories will provide tangible examples to aspiring leaders – to help shape the kind of leader they want to be.

If you’re interested in learning more about the experience of military leaders transitioning to civilian roles, I recommend the following (link below) November 2023 white paper from Spenser Stewart – there are many firsthand stories from leaders across all branches of the U.S. military who transitioned to corporate leadership roles in retail, consumer good, airlines, manufacturing.

?https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/veterans-in-leadership-how-military-careers-can-shape-corporate-success

*According to the Army's leadership doctrinal manual, Field Manual (FM) 6-22, Army leadership is “the process of influencing. people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improve the organization."

Eager for comments and perspectives, especially, firsthand experiences and learnings. Please add to comments or send me a direct message if you prefer to discuss one-on one.

Next post - excerpts from my chats with exceptional leaders about their big learnings from the not so exceptional leaders.