On Tribes
Samuel P. Huntington, in his 1996 ground breaking book Clash of Civilizations, noted that “people define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language, history, values, customs and institutions. They identify with cultural groups: tribes, ethnic groups, religious communities, nations and, at the broadest level, civilizations.” In Tribes, Seth Godin says “A Tribe is a group of people, large or small, who are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea…a group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” Sebastian Junger, in his book TRIBE: On Homecoming and Belonging, said “We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by a clear purpose and understanding.”
From these definitions it is easy to appreciate that the military services and groups within those organizations—like the Navy Seals, the Army Special Forces, and Marine Recon to mention but a few— can be classified as tribes. Recall the 101st Airborne Division’s most famous tribe in WWII, the “Band of Brothers.”
The military services have a long and glorious shared history dating from the America Revolution that is characterized by love of country, the wearing of uniforms, rigorous training, and norms of behavior that includes strict obedience and regimentation in addition to deeply held beliefs and values.
Today, with less than one percent of the American population serving 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 education, training, and experience of a military professional and how that translates in a positive way to the business world.
The military skills that do translate well are the planning, organizing, and leadership skills—plus the ability to adapt to ever changing situations, solve complex problems, build teams, and maintain a mission focus. Learning is second nature: knowing when they don’t know something that they can and will figure it out, just as they’ve done on arriving at each new assignment throughout their service career.
The resume of a military leader can intimidate those unfamiliar with the armed services. One frequently hears, “you won’t be happy here, you’re overqualified.” I once had an HR manager tell me “you’re more qualified than the president of the company.” Half-jokingly, I then asked for his job, but it wasn’t available. I don’t recommend that approach; the rest of the interview didn’t go well.
While important, resumes are not the key to getting a job as a manager, director, or vice president because people hire people, not resumes. Research shows that 78 percent of hiring decisions result from a referral, and that 88 percent of a hiring decision is based upon cultural fit. To get referred, one must be connected; to get connected, one must network. Employers want people who they can trust, someone who fits in well with their organization’s values, norms, behavior, and work style. In other words, they want someone who will be a good member of their tribe.