Hire a Veteran to Fight the Battle of Business Uncertainty

Hire a Veteran to Fight the Battle of Business UncertaintyHire a Veteran to Fight the Battle of Business UncertaintyHire a Veteran to Fight the Battle of Business Uncertainty Thompson, author of The Anywhere Leader How to Lead and Succeed in Any BusinessWe owe veterans a debt of gratitude for their service to America, but thats leid why we should hire a veteran. We should hire them because they have what it takes to lead in an ever-changing, ever-disruptive global economy.Frankly, its disturbing to feel the need to make that point. But the facts are even more disturbing.The unemployment rate for vets who served since 2001 is 2.6 percent higher than the general population, according to a report in September from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thats about 235,000 veterans who want a job but dont have a job.We say nice things when we pass military personnel in the airport Thanks for your service Sure do appreciate you but thenwe dismiss them when they drop a job application on our d esk Sorry, your skills dont translate Youre just not qualified. They are losing out on opportunities to feed their families, but its corporate America thats really losing out.In The Anywhere Leader, I make the case that the one thing we can count on in geschftsleben is uncertainty. fruchtwein of us, however, arent trained to lead through uncertainty. Thats just not a class you find in many business schools.But the military teaches it and it teaches it extremely well. Theres never been a greater need for leaders who are capable of leading through the unknown, and Ill argue that no group brings more experience or is more prepared to lead through uncertainty than veterans. They are amazing Anywhere Leaders.Anywhere Leaders are Driven for Progress, Sensationally Curious and Vastly Resourceful. Which of those traits do you not value in your employees? Todays veterans bring all these job skills to the workplace heres how.Veterans Driven for ProgressVeterans didnt join the military jus t to earn a paycheck theyve got an emotional commitment to a country that they love. They are dedicated to a purpose or mission thats greater than self. So they are daring (but discerning) in the name of progress. And they are determined, especially in the face of adversity. Thats what I call Driven for Progress.Veterans Sensationally CuriousYou might not think of veterans as Sensationally Curious. They are known for following orders, not asking questions. But my research and my own experience as a veteran taught me that its the behaviors associated with curiosity that make the difference.If you are curious, you are reflective, receptive and perceptive. Those behaviors allow you to relate well with others, even foreigners, so that you can build strong teams internally and with those who are very different from you.The veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, more than any veterans before them, have taken on the role of cultural bridge-builders. They fight the enemy while trying to win over communities. They know how to build trust in teams and communities that arent like them in any way, shape or form without sacrificing the mission.Veterans Vastly ResourcefulTheyre also Vastly Resourceful. Thats always been the case in the military. They are trained to make do with whatever resources are available. Todays veterans come from a pretty well-equipped military, but war is the great disrupter of shiny, new equipment.The enemy is literally trying to kill them, and they constantly and quickly have to counter that enemys tactics. So they figure out on their own how to reinforce the armor on the bottom of a Humvee or make a replacement engine pulley from a Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) box and some Duct tape.This resourcefulness, curiosity and drive for progress give veterans the traits needed to figure out the skills they might be missing for most jobs these traits make them great leaders regardless of the job.But dont assume they dont have skills. Veterans have played a numbe r of roles in a military thats trained them not just to fire weapons, but with specific, transferrable skills in technology, media, communications, medicine, logistics, management, leadership and countless other areas.Fighting the Battle of UncertaintyThe business case for hiring veterans is simple You battle uncertainty every day in your business and it will only get more intense and extreme. Theres nobody who has battled uncertainty more than these soldiers.Maybe you dont have bullets flying by your ear at your office, but dont you want somebody whos been under that kind of pressure and intensity and shown a resolve, commitment, aptitude and skill to succeed?The victories, small and huge, in Iraq and Afghanistan are amazing, and the sacrifices by the men and women fighting there are enormous. We can, and should, thank them when we see them with words and with jobs.Author BioMike Thompson is author of The Anywhere Leader How to Lead and Succeed in Any Business Environment (Wiley, 2011). He is founder and CEO of SVI, a leading organizational development company whose clients include Wal-Mart, Mercy Health, Sams Club, Dillards and Tyson. Previously he was founder and president of ThompsonMurray (now Saatchi Saatchi), the leader in in-store marketing. He is a regular contributor to industry trade publications.Learn More about Hiring a Veteran