Joining a New Tribe
A tribe, according to Seth Godin, “…is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” I guess that means each of the military services are tribes as are many businesses.
The military services have a long and glorious shared history that dates from the American Revolution: the wearing of uniforms, rigorous training, norms of behavior including strict obedience, and regimentation as well as deeply held beliefs and values.
With less than one percent of the American population serving in 2015 in military uniform, in all services including the guard and reserves forces, the American people in general and the business community in particular are largely uninformed about the military profession and how our knowledge, skills and ability translate to the business world.
The soft skills that do translate well, especially for supervisors, are the planning, organizing and leadership skills and the ability to adapt to changing situations, solve complex problems, build teams and maintain mission focus.
When one reads the resume of a mid-grade military officer it can be intimidating to the uninitiated. One frequently hears, “you won’t be happy here, you’re overqualified.” While resumes are important they are not the key to getting a job as a manager, director or vice president. There’s a lot to be said for the old saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know.”
Likeability, attitude and bearing are important factors in relationship building, they cannot be gleaned from a resume. Business leaders want to know if you will be a good fit with their culture. This is important because many have formed negative stereotypes of the “military mind.” Bottom line is that you must develop a wide and deep network of civilian personnel and get in front of decision influencers and decision makers to land that key leadership job. Since over 75 percent of jobs are filled through employee referrals, mingling in places where you can meet and have casual conversations with business people is critically important. It’s all about building trusting relationships.
Just remember, the business community belongs to a different tribe; a tribe you are trying to join.
