If you look at the CEO’s of fortune 500 companies you will find that almost 15 CEO’s have come from the military background. Former CEO of General Motors, Daniel Akerson, Robert A. McDonald of Proctor and Gamble and Tom Dent of Lumetra are few examples of it. These fortune 500 organizations hired these military veterans because of their integrity and commitment traits.
Kulmeet Bawa, managing director at Adobe India is an ex-army person. He had once said, “There are no brownie points for individuals. You don’t win battles unless you are in a team. If you make a mistake, the whole team is punished. You build strong bonds and learn what it is to sacrifice your life for someone else. This learning never goes away. And that’s why I say it’s one of the best things that happened to me”.
The military teaches discipline, management, logistics and efficiency to its veterans which are crucial and integral part of teamwork. Lessons about teamwork from the military could be examined for understanding and could be applied to our life to maximize our efficiency and productivity.
Stay calm and composed under adversity
This is the most important fundamental aspect of military teachings which is useful in teamwork. A military officer goes through a lot of adversities in a war zone and is trained to maintain his calm under adversities and act accordingly. This attitude helps a lot in teamwork.
Respect every opinion
Military officers know that each and every teammate matters a lot, especially in a war zone. The military teaches us that for survival and evolution of a project or task, an opinion of every team member needs to be considered and coordinated accordingly to fulfill the common objective.
Organize your limited resources with limited information
Military officers are often confronted with situations where they have limited resources and limited information but they are trained to manage such situations effectively. Managing such situations requires the perfect utilization of every resource they have and a lot of discipline.
Integrity matters
The military teaches its veterans to lead a life with pride and honor. These traits cannot be inherited without integrity, maturity, adaptability, and commitment to the cause. Integrity is deeply ingrained in the military culture and it helps to create a wonderful teamwork with mutual respect towards each other and outstanding orientation of resources and ideas.
Sacrifice for the cause
The military teaches us that in teamwork sacrificing personal preferences for the team is important. For the team to be more organized and productive, a veteran sacrifices his own personal preferences which help the team in achieving their objective with full potential. This sacrifice also signifies a great display of humility and respect for the team and mutual respect and harmony prevails in the team.
The military has not only defended our country but it has taught us a lot about integrity, commitment, and teamwork. We should respect them not only for their bravery and sacrifice but also for the set of values and ideologies they have brought to our lives.
