Introduction to Part II
This is part two of a series on the skills veterans bring to project management.
If you missed Part 1, go HERE and check it out. We explore how discipline, time management, leadership, and risk management make veterans. They are great project managers.
In this second part, we will discuss more key skills veterans bring. These skills enhance their effectiveness in project management.
Today, we are talking about communication skills. We will focus on clear channels and resolving conflicts. Also, we will see how military training fosters problem-solving and critical thinking. It enables veterans to devise new solutions.
Finally, we will cover resource management. This will highlight the efficient use of resources. It will also cover budget management. These skills were honed through military service.
Communication Skills
Communication Channels
During every exercise and operation, there is a document. It lists every unit’s communication channel. As someone in the organization, this gives me a full list of who is involved, how to talk to them, and when I should speak.
In project management, it’s like knowing all the ways to communicate with a project’s stakeholders. There is even a formula for all of the communication channels for a project:
Communication Channels = N(N-1)/2
So, for example, N= number of stakeholder. So, if we had 10 stakeholders the formula would be:
10(10-1)/2 = 10(9)/2 = 90/2 = 45 communication channels
Just as a military members build a list of everyone involved. They also list how to talk to each person and when to speak with them. A project manager includes this information in a Communication Management Plan.
Stakeholders
Methods of Communication
When and How Often to Communicate
Clear Communication
As you rise in rank, you must present clear information. As a Marine, when you are junior, your training starts with clear communication. It is between you and your direct supervisor. You communicate what you are doing and what you are learning and your leader provide you clear goals and expectations.
As you grow in rank, your communication broadens across your teams and organizations. At 21, I picked up a Non-Commissioned Officer rank of Corporal, which is the first rank of “real” leadership. This rank also has its own “Corporals Course” where you are taught new leadership skills for your new rank.
And a part of this course focuses around communication.
You learn as you grow. Each promotion comes with a new course that has some level communication built into it. We do this because communication is key in combat – you must succinctly give details while on the move. Therefore, you learn to talk quick, but also taught to talk clearly.
Problem Solving and Critical Thining
Critical Thinking
Because of movies, many people think the military cannot think for themselves. Instead, they need orders from leadership to work and operate.
This is far from the truth. General Krulak wrote about those “Strategic Corporals” in 1999. He discussed how even junior soldiers are put in scenarios. Their choices can have big impacts. In turn, the Marine Corps and other services added critical thinking to their professional education.
Military officers have critical thinking as a curriculum area of study in their various career-level schools:
“Critical Thinking for Military Personnel” at the Air War College
“How We Think: Thinking Critically and Creatively and How Military Professionals Can Do It Better” from the Small Wars Journal
Adding this critical thinking to training, schools, and day-to-day operations. It will let today’s military make decisions using analysis. They can do this for multiple situations and scenarios whenever they are put in a situation.
Overall, military training gives veterans a high competency. They are good at seeing a problem and finding solutions. They come up with it themselves or with their team. Veterans can help take a problem, direct it, and drive to results.
Innovative Solution
When solving problems, veterans also understand how to create innovative solutions.
See, military budgets can be high, but that does not always mean that everyone has what they need when they need it. And when it comes to people, many times, you only have what you have.
Veterans then cross-train, learn new skills, and develop ways to help push along a mission or plan. As we said in the Marine Corps, we “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome.” Which creates an environment and need for innovative problem-solving.
Within project management, you want to be able to solve problems, but many times, people get stuck in what’s right in front of them. Veterans pull you out of that one-lane mindset and get you to branch out to broader solutions.
Decision Making Under Pressure
On top of problem solving and critical thinking – service members know and understand how to make decisions while under pressure.
Rapid Decision Making
Give them a choice and they might ask a few questions, but they will make a decision. They understand that a bad decision now is better than the perfect decision later.
In agile, this is called “Fail fast, fail often”. And veterans know – you must work off the information you have and make the call.
Quick Decision Making
Outside of quick, in the moment decision, veterans can also plan fast. In the Marine Corps, they have the Rapid Response Planning Process (R2P2). This process shortens the Marine Corps Planning Process. It shrinks the planning cycle from weeks to months to just six hours.
This process is for high performing teams. It involves detailed Standard Operating Procedures to finish.
The whole planning cycle is about knowing your role and the procedures. It’s about quickly getting a task, making decisions, and building a plan.
This quick decision making expands across the force. Often, time is not an option. Senior managers then delegate big decisions to juniors. They are trusted and skilled. They will make the right decision.
And the senior manager backs up his team after they make their decisions. This empowers the team. It ensures they make the right decisions during tight deadlines.
In project management, project managers need to trust their team. They cannot make all the decisions. They cannot be in every meeting. So, they need to train, educate, and develop their team to make quick decisions.
So, if you need decisions made on time, without last-minute delays, add a veteran to your team.
Maintaining Composure
One key part of making decisions under pressure is keeping calm. You need to stay calm to make the decision.
Service members are taught to maintain bearing, even in the most stressful situations. As a leader, this is critical in combat and other situations. You need to control your emotions to push through enemy territory.
I was 10 years older than most Army Privates at Airborne School. The day before our first jump out of the airplane, a few of the soldiers were discussing who was scared and who was not.
Sitting near by, one of the soldiers asked me, “Hey sir, what about you, are you nervous about tomorrow”?
My reply was, “I’m terrified. And any one of you that says you aren’t, are either lying to yourself or trying to look tough. We are jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft tomorrow – and thats terrifying. But thats, ok. You can be scared. When I drove down a road that I know a vehicle hit a 100lb IED the day before, I was scared. But I did it. Why? Because that was the job. Tomorrow is not about being scared or not scared. It’s about controlling your fear to do something you are terrified to do. You do it for your country, you do it for those to your left and right – and you do not let your emotions take over”.
Working in the military, you learn to make decisions. You also learn to keep your cool in the most stressful situations. From experience, you know this helps keep your mind clear. Issues arise. Stakeholders complain. Or, your project ends early.
Whatever you put the veteran through, they know to keep their calm. They also know how to attack the problem.
Conclusion
Conclusion of Part II
In Part II of our series, we discussed the skills from military service that transfer into project management. These are Communication, Problem Solving, and Decision Making.
Service members can communicate clearly and effectively.
They can solve problems and stay calm under stress.
These skills allow them to lead project teams to strategic goals.
They have rigorous training.
They have experience with stressful decisions.
They need to make quick decisions.
These skills make them very capable. They can handle the challenges project managers face.
Throughout this series we discussed transferable skills from military service into project management. We went through:
Disciple
Time Mangement,
Leadership
Risk Management
Communication
Problem Solving
Decision Making
And this only starts scratching the surface.
Message to Hiring Managers
Hiring veterans is not just a nod to their service. It is a strategic advantage for any organization. Their ability to lead teams, manage risks, solve problems, and make decisions can drive project success and organizational growth.
Recognizing these transferable skills helps organizations. It lets them harness veterans’ full potential. This helps ensure a smooth transition from military to civilian careers. It fosters a culture of excellence and resilience.
Veterans’ journey from military service to civilian project management is a testament to their adaptability, dedication, and unwavering commitment. Embracing these qualities can only strengthen and enhance the fabric of any professional team.
If you are a service member or veteran who wants to talk more about how your service can lead into a career as a project manager. Or if you are an organization that would like to know more about the skills a veteran could bring to your organization, you can:
Setup time to chat with me: Lets Talk About Your Transition
Check out Hiring our Heroes Fellowship Programs:
Veterans can use this service
Companies can sign up to sponsor a veteran for a 12 week fellowship
Companies can register for the DOD Skillbridge program
Look at Onward to Opportunity for your next certification. They offer:
- Industry-Specific Certification
- Enhanced Peer and Professional Network
- Career Coaching & Mentoring
- Interviewing Confidence
- Motivated and In Control of Your Journey
- See the full list of certification they offer at: https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/programs/career-training/learning-pathways/
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