A Canadian press story noting the numbers of wounded soldiers coming back from Afghanistan, and the difference in care and compensation received by Reservists:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5g3-1Ri9KIhBg2vZWCMiEcxj8eMzg
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
An "Army of One"
Over the holidays I watched an award winning documentary called "Army of One". It was about three young people, all under 25, who joined the U.S. Army post 9/11. One particular young soldier really caught my attention because of his disillusionment. He was trying to get out of the military because he felt that he had been misled into signing up by promises of action, adventure, service to country and civilization. Instead he was driving a military truck in Fort Benning, Georgia. During Christmas Leave the camera followed him home and it became crystal clear why he felt the way he did. His mother spoke to him on camera saying “If our government cannot find something good to do with you, and something you’ll be interested in, and valuable, because you are unique”. We are left without the mother’s final conclusion as to what should happen if the government doesn’t provide what he needs, but we can assume that the advice was something along the lines of ‘Quit the Army’.
It explains so much of this soldier's crisis when the mother expresses that the government owes her son interesting experiences because he is "unique" (This programming is prevalent among Boomer parents). She forgets that the military is not an organization of service to oneself, it is an organization of service to others. Of course, proponents of Gen-Y will immediately point out that the statistics show that this generation is volunteering for community service in unprecedented numbers. However, the question isn’t whether they are willing to give to others, it is whether they are willing to sacrifice for others. The example of the young soldier above casts this value into doubt. After all, the exact same logic that the mother used to give her son an ‘out’ from the military would presumably be applied to volunteering for a charity, think again of the above words, but substitute in Habitat for Humanity “If Habitat for Humanity cannot find something good to do with you, and something you’ll be interested in, and valuable, because you are unique” (Quit Habitat for Humanity). As an outsider hearing these words, most would immediately red flag this as a flawed piece of logic that discourages self-sacrifice for the greater good.
The military indoctrinates the concept and practice of perseverance and self-sacrifice into every soldier from day one. For some, like the example above, their prior programming cannot be overridden and therefore they are extremely dissatisfied with what they experience. They fail to learn that self-sacrifice is honourable and fulfilling, though often difficult and painful. Most often this leads to them leaving the service.
Voluntarily staying with the military, on the other hand, is a clear signal that this individual has been indoctrinated with the values of perseverance and self-sacrifice. In an employment situation this means that they will be inclined to put in the hours and dirty work to contribute to the collective good. This doesn't mean that your company should overload them like beasts of burden, rather they should be raised to be leaders in your organization so that their work ethic is evident to everyone that encounters them, therefore setting the example of what the company is looking for from its young employees.
Some employers will say that hiring reservists means that they will lose productivity for periods of time. However, keep in mind, that the same organization that initially indoctrinated them with the values of perseverance and self-sacrifice, is continually reinforcing those qualities in the training that they are doing, therefore returning them to your workplace even further imbued with the personal work ethic that leads to greater productivity for both themselves, and the people that work for them. A very small loss in personal productivity is more likely to result in greater productivity for the whole.
With that explanation, this is a good time to announce that CiviSide.com is doing a joint press release with TalentEgg.ca debating whether Gen-Y should adapt to the workplace, or vice versa. From the above you can certainly see where I stand. I believe that this is an important debate that must be given very careful consideration by every employer. The result of this debate may well decide the basic philosophy of work for a very long time.
It explains so much of this soldier's crisis when the mother expresses that the government owes her son interesting experiences because he is "unique" (This programming is prevalent among Boomer parents). She forgets that the military is not an organization of service to oneself, it is an organization of service to others. Of course, proponents of Gen-Y will immediately point out that the statistics show that this generation is volunteering for community service in unprecedented numbers. However, the question isn’t whether they are willing to give to others, it is whether they are willing to sacrifice for others. The example of the young soldier above casts this value into doubt. After all, the exact same logic that the mother used to give her son an ‘out’ from the military would presumably be applied to volunteering for a charity, think again of the above words, but substitute in Habitat for Humanity “If Habitat for Humanity cannot find something good to do with you, and something you’ll be interested in, and valuable, because you are unique” (Quit Habitat for Humanity). As an outsider hearing these words, most would immediately red flag this as a flawed piece of logic that discourages self-sacrifice for the greater good.
The military indoctrinates the concept and practice of perseverance and self-sacrifice into every soldier from day one. For some, like the example above, their prior programming cannot be overridden and therefore they are extremely dissatisfied with what they experience. They fail to learn that self-sacrifice is honourable and fulfilling, though often difficult and painful. Most often this leads to them leaving the service.
Voluntarily staying with the military, on the other hand, is a clear signal that this individual has been indoctrinated with the values of perseverance and self-sacrifice. In an employment situation this means that they will be inclined to put in the hours and dirty work to contribute to the collective good. This doesn't mean that your company should overload them like beasts of burden, rather they should be raised to be leaders in your organization so that their work ethic is evident to everyone that encounters them, therefore setting the example of what the company is looking for from its young employees.
Some employers will say that hiring reservists means that they will lose productivity for periods of time. However, keep in mind, that the same organization that initially indoctrinated them with the values of perseverance and self-sacrifice, is continually reinforcing those qualities in the training that they are doing, therefore returning them to your workplace even further imbued with the personal work ethic that leads to greater productivity for both themselves, and the people that work for them. A very small loss in personal productivity is more likely to result in greater productivity for the whole.
With that explanation, this is a good time to announce that CiviSide.com is doing a joint press release with TalentEgg.ca debating whether Gen-Y should adapt to the workplace, or vice versa. From the above you can certainly see where I stand. I believe that this is an important debate that must be given very careful consideration by every employer. The result of this debate may well decide the basic philosophy of work for a very long time.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Globe and Mail photoshoot
I just finished a photoshoot with Peter Powers of The Globe and Mail. He did the shoot as part of a feature the Globe is doing on Civi-Side in the Business Incubator section. The section features a business that is usually at the startup stage and looking for advice on how to grow. The Globe then brings in a panel of experts to comment on how they would approach the problem. This should be great national exposure, as well as a learning experience.
I don't know when the article will be coming out, but I expect it should be within the next 4-6 weeks. I'll let you know when it does.
Coincidentally, Peter is a former military guy himself, as is his editor Noel Hulsman. I seem to run into that in the most random of places, including Newspapers, Venture Capital funds,and HR conferences. I think that this shows how flexible military people really are, and how the soft skills they gain in the military directly translate into the civilian world to make them successful.
I don't know when the article will be coming out, but I expect it should be within the next 4-6 weeks. I'll let you know when it does.
Coincidentally, Peter is a former military guy himself, as is his editor Noel Hulsman. I seem to run into that in the most random of places, including Newspapers, Venture Capital funds,and HR conferences. I think that this shows how flexible military people really are, and how the soft skills they gain in the military directly translate into the civilian world to make them successful.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Christmas Dinner, and a Wrong that Must be Righted.
Yesterday we had the Christmas Dinner for the troops. In the military we have a tradition where the Officers and Senior Non Commissioned Officers serve the troops Christmas Dinner. The idea behind it being that the troops work for us all year, and that at Christmas we work for them to show our appreciation. It's a wonderful tradition that I look forward to every year.
On a unrelated, but very important note, I just came across this story about an auxiliary RCMP officer that was killed in the line of duty in 2004:
http://tinyurl.com/5cvxta
http://tinyurl.com/66n9ml
I am sad that this is the first time that I have heard of this loss, but more angry at the way his service to the community was treated. Instead of his name being placed on the Police Memorial, he was denied official recognition because he was not a full-time paid employee of the service. Imagine that you as a military reservist were treated in such a shameful way by being allowed to die in uniform, but not be recognized as an equal member of the Forces? There is something you can do about this. There is an online petition that you can sign to rectify this injustice:
http://surreyauxiliary.org/petition/
On a unrelated, but very important note, I just came across this story about an auxiliary RCMP officer that was killed in the line of duty in 2004:
http://tinyurl.com/5cvxta
http://tinyurl.com/66n9ml
I am sad that this is the first time that I have heard of this loss, but more angry at the way his service to the community was treated. Instead of his name being placed on the Police Memorial, he was denied official recognition because he was not a full-time paid employee of the service. Imagine that you as a military reservist were treated in such a shameful way by being allowed to die in uniform, but not be recognized as an equal member of the Forces? There is something you can do about this. There is an online petition that you can sign to rectify this injustice:
http://surreyauxiliary.org/petition/
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's called "Hard Work" for a reason.
The Steve Maich, Macleans Magazine article, I referred to in my last post has really been sitting on my brain since I read it. Steve perfectly encapsulated the definition of Hard Work: "perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice". Most people walk into an interview and tell the employer "I'm a hard worker". However, the employer knows that most of his workforce are not "hard workers", they are simply doing the minimum needed to collect a paycheque. The phrase hard worker is simply a punchline used to get a job.
Here's a new idea, tell the interviewer that you are a hard worker, but back it up by breaking down how you have shown perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice in your personal or working life. If you are military this will be easy. For example, I could tell an employer that I persevered through extreme sleep deprivation, unreasonable deadlines, physical exhaustion, and mental stress...in basic training alone. I could say that I have shown discipline by maintaining a high level of physical fitness for military service on my own time. I could say that I have shown focus by staying with the military for almost four years. I could say that in addition to my regular civilian schooling/work, I have voluntarily sacrificed my evenings and weekends to prepare myself physically and mentally to defend Canada. Imagine what the employer would think of a job candidate that comes in and says that I have proven that I will voluntarily push my body in order to make sure that I am capable of coming in every day to work with the greatest ability to get the job done for you? Be a hard worker, it is to your benefit.
I urge you to measure your work against the criteria of perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice. This is especially true if you are military, but is applicable to any competitive field. An organization's success depends on the individual/team's perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice being greater than the opponent's. Be in it to win!
Here's a new idea, tell the interviewer that you are a hard worker, but back it up by breaking down how you have shown perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice in your personal or working life. If you are military this will be easy. For example, I could tell an employer that I persevered through extreme sleep deprivation, unreasonable deadlines, physical exhaustion, and mental stress...in basic training alone. I could say that I have shown discipline by maintaining a high level of physical fitness for military service on my own time. I could say that I have shown focus by staying with the military for almost four years. I could say that in addition to my regular civilian schooling/work, I have voluntarily sacrificed my evenings and weekends to prepare myself physically and mentally to defend Canada. Imagine what the employer would think of a job candidate that comes in and says that I have proven that I will voluntarily push my body in order to make sure that I am capable of coming in every day to work with the greatest ability to get the job done for you? Be a hard worker, it is to your benefit.
I urge you to measure your work against the criteria of perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice. This is especially true if you are military, but is applicable to any competitive field. An organization's success depends on the individual/team's perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice being greater than the opponent's. Be in it to win!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Macleans on Millennials
In a random coincidence to yesterday's blog posting, I just came across this article that appeared in last week's Macleans Magazine:
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/24/is-this-the-future-dont-bet-on-it/
The passage that most caught my eye was
"they (Boomers) raised their kids to be steeped in the ethos of self-esteem, praised at every turn, enrolled in dozens of activities to ensure “well-roundedness.” Boomers, who’ve spent their lives terrified of being seen as old-fashioned, never bothered to dwell on archaic notions like perseverance, discipline, focus and sacrifice."
It was interesting to me that the author would use character traits such as perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice, to describe the qualities missing in Millennials as a generation. Aren't these the character traits that the military teaches our young soldiers? This article certainly supports our claim that hiring reservists is a smart business decision.
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/24/is-this-the-future-dont-bet-on-it/
The passage that most caught my eye was
"they (Boomers) raised their kids to be steeped in the ethos of self-esteem, praised at every turn, enrolled in dozens of activities to ensure “well-roundedness.” Boomers, who’ve spent their lives terrified of being seen as old-fashioned, never bothered to dwell on archaic notions like perseverance, discipline, focus and sacrifice."
It was interesting to me that the author would use character traits such as perseverance, discipline, focus, and sacrifice, to describe the qualities missing in Millennials as a generation. Aren't these the character traits that the military teaches our young soldiers? This article certainly supports our claim that hiring reservists is a smart business decision.
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