What I learned in the military that helps me in the corporate world
A little bit about the author:
I spent 7 years in the French Army: I graduated in 2009 from NCO school of Saint-Maixent and headed straight for the 1st Parachute Infantry Regiment as a sergeant, at first as a deputy squad leader.
I was deployed in 2011, in Afghanistan, as a squad leader. There I lead 11 men in combat for 6 months in the Kapisa province during the summer mandate. We supported and mentored the Afghan National Army to push back the Taliban off the valleys surrounding the Forward Operating Base (FOB), to restore peace and safety for the inhabitants of the region.
Two years later I was sent to Mali in an emergency deployment to prevent the Djihadist groups from taking over Bamako, the capital of the country. My unit was the first deployed on the theater along with the Parachutists of the French Foreign Legion.
I was then assigned to prepare and train units that needed to be sent to new combat theaters, and to teach them the latest counter-insurgency tactics.
Now back in civilian life, I am an Expansion Manager at Sainoo, the Talent marketplace focusing on Finance, Consulting and Technology.
I learned many things, from my military life, that I apply every day at work.
Let’s take an in-depth look at the specificities that could be transposed to the corporate world to enhance its efficiency.
Lesson 1: the divinity of the mission is the main driver
In the military, the utmost importance is the mission. Above and beyond anything else. Above well-being and comfort, which sometimes justifies self or collective sacrifice. This is induced by the pride related to the achievement of that greater goal. In the French army, the mission is described as “sacred”.
There is almost a religious consideration to it. Nowadays, in the civilian world, some people are more driven by selfishness and comfort rather than the achievement of a project, or a design. This is mainly due to the fact that they don’t necessarily join a firm or commit to a project by vocation.
Life in the military is tough. Especially in the infantry. You don’t count your hours, your success is not rewarded by monetary bonuses, you often get physically injured, you suffer from sleep deprivation, poor feeding practices… but, in the end, this culture drives you to never complain. The pride of being part of a common, collective, solid, quantifiable design replaces the monetary retribution that drives some people.
Lesson 2: prepare, and prepare again, for failure. The systematic evaluation of “unforeseen event”
Every mission (or project) is always evaluated in advance with a careful measurement of potential failure. A solution for each type of situation that can go wrong is studied, and known by everyone.
It is often presented as the “what if?”. You might have heard of “Murphys Laws”. If something can go wrong, let’s assume it will go wrong. If something can break down, let’s assume it will break down. Then comes logically the “what if?”.
Assuming everything will happen as planned is lying to yourself. A plan, by essence, is designed to fail. That’s why when preparing a mission, all the unimaginable obstacles are covered.
Lesson 3: KISS, simple is better
A mission is a project. You need to strive hard to reach the goal. When a failure may mean death to a team of 400 men, the project is of the utmost importance. Solving a complex problem very often requires common sense and a simple solution.
The Army has found one solution for that; basic acronyms, full of sense! Acronyms are everywhere. You don’t pass a day without using at least a couple dozen of them. They are a smart way to have people retain concepts easily and have them anchored in a solid way in their mind.
Let’s take a look at the two most common ones: KISS and SIS ISF.
The first one is self-explanatory but sums it all. KISS-“Keep It Stupid Simple”.
The best way to get the best out of various tricky and complicated situations is to stick to a logical, straightforward resolution. There are a lot of variations, but you get the concept. Overcomplicating things is not productive. The resolution of problems needs an easy process. Hence: Stupid. Simple.
SIS ISF is a contradiction. It has been proven effective throughout the centuries. “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. It enlights the fact that taking more time to make things is much more valuable than to rush to have it resolved. Enabling you to achieve a more successful result.
Lesson 4: the group is more powerful than the individual (where do you think “there’s no I in team” came from?)
The key to a successful team, venture, or company is to create a solid and sane bond between the elements and/or stakeholders. This leads to much higher productivity in the corporate world. The glue to it all is probably what people refer to as “Company Culture”.
The military is a long time specialist at that. Bringing people from all cultural, sociological and economical background together to work efficiently, with a sensible common reference point that everyone can refer to. Whatever the differences of personality and opinion.
“Team building” is put to a paroxysm. Putting aside the utmost powerful cohesion combat can create within a group of people, there are easy ways to reinforce the sense of belonging and fellowship between people aiming for a common endeavor.
It simply goes through sharing simple things together. As often as possible. With the widest spectrum as possible. Joy, pleasure, success, failure, pain, sadness… Sharing, as a unique entity, the many aspects of the daily positive or negative events creates a bond that will make people inherently more sensitive to common success, and much more likely to go through failure as a group!
Lesson 5 (last but not least): humor
“Humor is the only remedy that unties the nerves of the world without putting it asleep.” Robert Escarpit
Humor has the tremendous force of being able to drive one through all the above mentioned harsh situations.
It doesn’t affect productivity, quite the opposite, it is sensible in any situation, it is free of charge, and always beneficial. It is the best cure against adversity, difficulties, boredom, and failure. It is never a justification, it is just a more positive reaction. It is inherent to each and every one of us. We all know when there is a necessity for seriousness, but we sometimes forget the incredible power it holds at turning around uneasy situations.
In the military, there is a lot of those dire and desperate situations where humor takes a vital place. It benefits the common good and common goal by its spontaneity and defuses hard to handle situations.
In the corporate world, it is seen as taking things lightly, as lacking professionalism. I will end this article on this note: Humour is a positive way to conquer and overcome.
Thanks for reading! I hope we can be in touch in the future!
About Sainoo.com:
Based in London, Sainoo is a trusted hiring marketplace built to help people find their dream job.
We take the best from the recruiting and technology worlds by connecting employers and talents through a curated marketplace of vetted candidates. We came together to change the recruiting landscape, celebrate Monday mornings, and help everyone find a job they love.
Relax. You’re with Sainoo :)
To know more: https://www.sainoo.com/
