Q1 2020 Texas CEO Magazine

[LEADERSHIP]
MISSION, PRIDE, PEOPLE
3 KEYS TO MILITARY
AND CORPORATE SUCCESS
Military lessons don’t always translate to the corporate world. Here are three that do.
Lisa Jaster
Every few months, a former servicemember writes a new
leadership book and the general public eats it up. Many of us
in the military are baffled by the popularity of these books.
When every military leadership book that rolls off the press is
a best seller, I think what we’re really looking at is the lack of
meaningful leadership exposure the civilian sector receives.
To their credit, these books can be exciting reads. What’s better
than gritty tales of tough situations and leadership challenges
in combat? After a few stories, these books typically take
combat successes and then reverse-engineer them. Here the
reader gets a behind-the-curtain view of how military training
yielded teamwork, blind trust, and confidence in commanders—
presumably so they can apply these lessons in their own lives.
Unfortunately, you can’t just read Extreme Ownership over the
weekend and expect people to follow you on Monday like you’re
Jocko Willink. Number one: You’re not Jocko. Number two:
Your 40-year-old mother-of-two coworker may not be ready for
a Jocko around the office. As alluring as it sounds, you’re just
not going to take the leadership lessons learned in Al Anbar
and walk that straight into the corporate world. Those worlds
are just too far apart. The military pay structure is rigid and
standardized. There’s no such thing as a 40-hour workweek, and
90 Texas CEO Magazine Q1 2020