By Efraim Benmelech, Robert Carr, Dan Friend, Carola Frydman, Brian Halloran, William Horn, Michael Musso | Kellogg | September 5, 2019
Picture this: Employees with an unwavering commitment to the greater good of the organization. Managers with a complete understanding of not only their own goals, but of their boss’s boss’s goals. A successful track record for recruiting and retaining an extremely diverse group of people.
These are like the qualities of a well-run business. But they also describe, at its best, the U.S. military.
Since 2012, Kellogg has welcomed a new Army colonel to the school each year as part of its senior fellow program. And Kellogg Insight has made a point of talking with that fellow each year about what business leaders can learn from their counterparts in the military.
In our conversations with these fellows, they have stressed both the unique skills and perspectives that former soldiers can bring to their new civilian jobs, as well as procedures that the Army uses to make itself more organized, more informed, and more attractive as an employer. Here are some of the highlights of their lessons for businesses and leaders.
