Leadership Always Applies
I live in a military town. We have more retired service members here in San Antonio (aka "Military
City, USA") than you can shake a stick at. So, in civilian jobs, we regularly work with former military members. Some excel, some do not. The perception of military persons out side of Military City, USA is sometimes that military members are too rigid or inflexible. Some are. The perception is sometimes accurate. But, by far, former military members do well in the civilian workforce.
Look at Mike Maslanka's comments about Hal Moore, retired Army general. Hal Moore provides good lessons for all civilian leaders: 1) Never deprive a human being of dignity. 2) Always lead from the front. That is, place yourself at the key point of any operation at key moments. 3) Listen to those below you in the chain of command. No one knows the job of the dishwasher better than the dishwasher himself. 4) When faced with a difficult issue, always remember there is one more thing you can do to influence the outcome.
For those not familiar with LG (Lieutenant General) Moore (Ret), he was the Battalion Commander in the book and movie, We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young. Great book and great movie. LG Moore was a role model for many Army officers. Leadership, true leadership applies in any context. When he came home from Viet Nam, he visited the homes and families of all his deceased soldiers.
If more civilian leaders practiced these four principles, we would have far more agreeable and productive workplaces.
