On Qualifications
Qualifications matter, but qualifications for what? To some, qualifications mean academic degrees and professional certifications while others may be looking for related experience.
For leaders, technical qualifications are not as relevant as experience as planners, analysts, and decision-makers. Fred Kiel in his book Return on Character notes that one of the most valuable acts of leaders is to make disciplined decisions about business and the people who run it. He notes the story of one person who upon arriving the first day the new CEO, thought to himself, “Now what?” At that point, instead of looking to the boss to make a decision, he was the boss and everybody was now looking at him.
At one point in my life I was hired as a Vice President of an information technology firm. I didn’t know much about IT; still don’t. But that’s not why they hired me. I had experts to do the IT stuff, they hired me to be a leader. A few years later I was asked to become the CEO of a startup nonprofit corporation. I had never done this before. I’m thinking, “How hard can this be?” So I accepted the challenge and got down to business finding out how to develop and run a nonprofit corporation. On reflection, I realize that my leadership, education and experience in the Army had equipped me to do anything I set out to do. I just needed the confidence to say, “Yes, I can do that,” and the dogged determination to figure it out.
A big part of the job hunt process is having the confidence to try something new if offered. One person I know was reticent about applying for a leadership role in a small company that employed a group of engineers. It seemed the owner wanted to retire and was looking outside the company for someone to come in and learn the business so he could retire and turn over the leadership role. The person he was looking for didn’t need to know about engineering, he wanted someone to lead the organization into the future.
Military leaders at all levels frequently move to positions of increasing responsibility throughout their career. They are being paid to be, know and do. To BE leaders with a strong ethical and moral base, to KNOW their roles and responsibilities, and to DO what is necessary to accomplish tasks on time, within budget and to acceptable standards—that’s what business leaders do.
As you plan your transition, know your qualifications and determine what you need to learn to be competitive in the field you are pursuing. Take the time to learn the language, processes and concepts so you can master the interview with a prospective employer.
