Q1 2020 Texas CEO Magazine

cannot profess a mission and expect those below to follow
it without seeing the example. Professional appearance is
an excellent example of this, both in and out of uniform.
It takes practice and consistency to communicate a mission
that (1) includes enough detail to drive behaviors, (2) includes
few enough details to allow for free thought and creative
solutions, and (3) is understandable at the lowest possible
level. But it is possible, especially if the leader him- or herself
lives the mission through their actions. Leadership through
penmanship does not work. Words on a website do not drive
behaviors. Leaders must uphold the standards themselves.
Unit Pride
I think it’s safe to assume that everyone who joins the military
has a bit of a patriotic streak, which gives uniformed leadership
a surefire motivator from the onset. As I mentioned, individuals
raise their right hand and pledge to support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies on their
first day of work. That’s a bit extreme to expect someone to do
for most jobs. It’s critical to turn that job into a career for that
employee and help them find what they can be proud of at the
smallest level—be it a team, an office, a department, or even just
a project group. What product or service does that small section
provide that the employee can brag about to their friends?
Soldiers in the US Army wear a patch on our left shoulder to
demonstrate what major command we belong to. And inside
each major command, we have mascots and team names for
every military subgroup, down to a squad or team. We paint
our symbol on trucks, put it on memos, and decorate our work
areas with it, just as corporate America does with logos. We have
coins, stickers, hats, and T-shirts to demonstrate our esprit de
corps. But the military takes it one step further: We encourage
individuals to see that the mission of their small team makes the
larger team’s mission possible. Without me, the squad couldn’t
succeed. Without the squad, the platoon, company, battalion,
all the way up to the military as a whole, wouldn’t succeed.
A manager must instill a similar unit pride in employees by
showing people that their individual actions are somehow
adding to the whole. At my current company, where we
want to be a full-service engineering firm, it is imperative
that we ask our clients about items outside our direct scope.
This way, we help the client solve their overarching problem
rather than just putting a Band-Aid on the immediate
issue. We build trust and a lasting relationship. Doing
that together, across the team, grows our unit pride.
“People First” Mentality
One advantage civilian organizations have over military
organizations is in the people department. Although I believe
that soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are some of the
best humans alive, they are also assigned—they are rarely
chosen. Usually, the available person fills a military job and
then learns what they need to do through on-the-job training.
In a business, you have an opportunity to interview each
employee and chose your teams based on capabilities and fit.
But no matter how good or bad the staff might be, a group
of bitter, isolated people will never succeed. That’s why it’s
critical in either environment to have a “people first” mentality,
placing relationships between humans front and center.
At West Point, we took PL300, a class in military leadership from
the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership department. The big joke
back in 1998 was that the correct answer for any unit-cohesion
issue was to hold a mandatory barbeque. Oddly enough, that
lesson was truer than my 21-year-old brain could comprehend. A
person spends one-third to one-half of their waking hours with
their coworkers. If the individuals can’t socialize at the lowest
level—at lunches, coffee-pot and water-cooler discussions, and
so on—then they will never be able to work as a team. Making
sure that someone is a character fit for the company or team
isn’t enough. Each employee must feel like they are getting
something back for the time they spend away from their personal
life. I have found that there are three major drivers of work
happiness: money, location, and job satisfaction. I am finding out
as I get older that job satisfaction, which prominently includes
my relationships with my coworkers, has now replaced money
as my top priority. Knowing that your employees likely feel the
same, and helping them develop positive relationships with
each other, will keep your turnover low and productivity high.
One thing “people first” doesn’t mean is that you must treat
everyone exactly the same. I learned a hard lesson in Ranger
School: There are a lot of amazing soldiers who just aren’t
meant for certain types of missions. Since corporate America
has the right to hire and fire people, find those who fit within the
company and nurture them, but let go of those who aren’t driving
toward the same end state or aren’t motivated by the company’s
“why.” That way, both you and that employee can find a better fit.
In Conclusion
Military leadership offers plenty of lessons for corporate America,
but those lessons must be taken with a grain of salt. The base of
the organization—people—is significantly different in military and
civilian environments. But regardless of which type of group you
stand in front of, there are three critical drivers of success. Each
organization must have a clear mission, a sense of unit pride, and
a “people first” mentality. Build these three in your team and you
will see success, whether it’s on the battlefield or at the office.
Lisa Jaster is the Director of Civil Engineering for M&S Engineering and
a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve. After graduating from West
Point in 2000, she was commissioned as an engineer officer and served on
active duty until February 2007. During her time in the military, Jaster
deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, earning two Bronze Star Medals, two
Meritorious Service Medals, and a Combat Action Badge, to name a few
of her awards. She is also one of three women to earn the army’s coveted
Ranger Tab out of the initial integrated Ranger School in 2015.
92 Texas CEO Magazine Q1 2020