Back To Back: Two Good Reads On Entry Level Leadership And Culture

Soldier's Heart is a civilian English professor's take on the leadership culture of West Point, based on her ten years expertise as a faculty member. Professor Samet is get more info in a rare, but properly qualified position to pen Soldier's Heart. Only a fifth of the a...

This month, I read two books back to back: Soldier's Heart by Elizabeth Samet and Punching In by Alex Frankel. Each of these works are an excellent introduction into entry-level corporate culture and leadership development.

Soldier's Heart is a civilian English professor's take on the leadership culture of West Point, based on her ten years encounter as a faculty member. Professor Samet is in a uncommon, but effectively qualified position to pen Soldier's Heart. Only a fifth of the academy's faculty is civilian instructors the rest are military officers on rotation or "typical Army." Samet's academic interest also tends to make her special she has studied the dynamic of command and obedience in American literature.

Soldier's Heart is not the 1st work about West Point by a soldier or civilian, but it comes from the most interesting viewpoint: an outdoors working inside.

Soldier's Heart has a balanced appear at the military culture. Samet writes that no cadet wants to be, in one cadet's words, a "non-thinking slasher," a person who would kill for the glory of war, or the sake of killing.

West Point is, and has always been, a literate culture. Classical literature by means of Armed Forces Editions educates and entertains soldiers in battle, and reinforces American values. She writes of books as weapons to spread suggestions, and counter actions meant to curtail freedom. But she also states that tales of war talk of motherhood or a womans enjoy for soldiers but not a woman's enjoy for soldiering. There is absolutely nothing about motherhood in the military culture, but there is the need to fight for mother.

The professor adds that today's military culture has conflated military missions with spiritual missions soldiers turn into instructed to regain faith when there appears to be small cause for faith. Nonetheless, that may be needed instruction to lead at a time when officers, enlisted and veterans are questioning our nations involvement in Iraq, a war that they believe to be unnecessary.

This faith extends to open displays of the Seven Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Individual Courage. Soldiers tape the Values to their dog tags. Soldiers also display the Soldier's Creed, officially posted in 2003:

I will always spot the mission first

I will by no means accept defeat

I will never ever quit

I will in no way leave behind a fallen comrade.

The Values and the Creed are achievable not only since of the culture, but also since our soldiers are experts who have chosen to serve. Samet websites a single Army study that mentions that professional soldiers nevertheless fight for every single other, as they did, for example in Planet War II, but they also accept the responsibility that Army has entrusted to them.

The Army, as an institution, has had mottos and mission statements longer than most American companies, and has a culture exactly where everyone need to live read this by them. Some of the most effective corporations have copied the military's strengths and some of its imperfections. According to two on-line employment websites, GIJobs and CollegeGrad, 24 of the Top 50 Military Friendly Employers in 2007 also hired 100 or much more college graduates for their entry-level positions. It is protected to say that these companies use the same values to develop and retain their entry-level and military transitional hires.

Which brings me to the subsequent query: can these without having the military orientation grow to be as profitable in these firms as those who have served with honor? The answer, according to Alex Frankel's Punching In, is sometimes, if you can get along to go along.

Values, missions, attention to detail and duty are element of the dialogue in Punching In, one more operate exactly where an outsider looks inside, and serves on the front lines of indoctrination into corporate culture.

Frankel worked in entry-level consumer service positions at United Parcel Service (UPS), Enterprise Rent-A-Vehicle, The Gap, Starbucks and The Apple Retailer, took online aptitude tests with two retailers: Very best Purchase and Residence Depot and went via the lengthy interview processes at The Container Retailer and Whole Foods.

Like the Army, these corporations attempt to engage and turn their workers into fanatical and loyal employees. Interestingly sufficient, he refers to front-line workers as the Brand Army of these firms and known as UPS the Other Army, because of the company's esprit de coir and the spit and polish appearance of the front-line workers. Each the Army and UPS do not accept alteration, recreational display or desecration of their uniform.

Frankel respected UPS more than the other organizations, because their workers, specifically the drivers, were the most trusted. He adds that this is essential due to the fact UPS workers are all in the field. They can track their places, but any troubles should be solved on route. Every single driver and their helper is like a platoon of soldiers they have to comply with orders, but they have some lee way in how to execute them.

Frankel did not say the same about the other organizations. For example, he praised Enterprise's efforts to motivate workers to think that they can advance from desk clerks to regional managers although he adds that additional advancement is much less achievable. The organization hires approximately 8,000 entry-level personnel, though the rest of the perform force is no bigger.

Frankel shows how Starbucks has become a "third place," a neighborhood-meeting place away from residence and function, but believes this will be a difficult technique to retain due to the fact of the standardized appearance of the thousands of stores and employees. He considers Apple Shops to be an outstanding setting for these who are already fans of the technologies they want little indoctrination and coaching as properly. And he shows The Gap to be tiny different from other retailers who are loathed by retail workers, a firm bent on standards and policies that place retailer design 1st, item second, credit web site card sales third and the employees final.

Like the Army, these organizations have a uniform, policies and shared values, but as opposed to the Army, they can hire and fire at will. It was interesting that Frankel conveyed the most respect for the organization that was the most like the Army.

Given UPS' good results the company maintains 80 percent industry share against a number of big competitors, like the U.S. Postal Services that is quite a complement for our troops and the males and women who lead them.