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When I hire, especially for more senior roles, I hire candidates more for their values and culture fit than for their competencies. This is because at the higher job grades, competency is a given and it is the softer skills that really matter.
This is where military officers have a problem. The military has a strong culture and those who have served for a prolonged period of time will carry that culture with them into their next careers. And, as not all organizational culture lends itself to the warrior ethos, the following are three reasons why you should not hire an ex-military officer:
Sticks to their values. Values are at the heart of everything a soldier does. Values like loyalty, duty, respect, honor, integrity, personal courage, and selfless service form the foundation upon which a soldier lives his life. To the ex-military officer, there is no grey area. If something is ethically or morally wrong, he will not do it. So, if you like to operate in the grey, the ex-military officer will call you out and simply refuse to do what you want.
Gets things done. In the military, assigned missions get done. No ifs, ands, or buts. Missions are accomplished or people die. If you assign a military officer a task you can bet your bottom dollar that he will deliver or die trying. Unfortunately, in the…
