Veterans with the Right Stuff

An executive recruiter describes the "special value proposition" that military officers with MBAs can bring to the table

by Al Chase

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My life as an executive recruiter changed forever in 2001 when the chairman of a startup software company engaged me to find them a CEO. Many of the finalists for this role turned out to be executives who had cut their leadership teeth in the military and then acquired additional tools by earning an MBA from one of the top-tier business schools.

I began to realize that our military—while producing outstanding leaders for the battlefield—also serves as an incubator for business leadership. And a business school education provides the additional fine-tuning that enables these men and women to make a major contribution in the private sector. Over the past seven years, I have come to know hundreds of women and men who have made a successful transition from the military to the world of business by way of business school. While I have no military background of my own, I am an enthusiastic evangelist for the special value proposition that veterans with MBAs can offer the business world.

What makes these military veterans so successful in the business world? In a word: leadership. But let me break down some of the components of leadership that I see in the impressive individuals I have come to know, who have made successful transitions from the military to business school and then to business. Under the broad banner of leadership I see specific strengths: strategic vision, commitment to the mission, accountability, integrity, flexibility, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and a commitment to equip and empower their teams to achieve excellence. A good officer needs to be comfortable throwing on some camouflage paint to lead his enlisted troops on a mission to neutralize a group of bad guys hiding out in Fallujah. He needs to be equally comfortable standing before the commanding officer in the Tactical Operations Center to report on the results of that mission. That kind of flexibility is rare in the business world, and it is part of what makes military officers with MBAs such a prized commodity.

Scott St. Germain exemplifies this kind of flexibility. A West Point-trained officer in the Army Corps of Engineers, "Saint," as he is known to most of his friends, rolled up his sleeves and did an MBA summer internship with Gorton's —the fish-stick people—in Gloucester, Mass. He was eventually recruited by biotech giant Genentech (DNA) to join their front-line sales. Early success led to a quick promotion, and he was invited to work at the company's headquarters on the West Coast. Genentech's leaders wanted Scott to help ensure the biotech firm would continue to exercise best practices in preventing the development of the gap that often exists in large corporations between the sales team and the marketing team. Scott was comfortable in both worlds, and he has used the communication and diplomacy skills he acquired as an Army officer to help lead the company to even greater success.

It is clear from my vantage point as an executive recruiter and as founder of White Rhino Partners that the most visionary companies are the ones that have seen the unique value of military officers who have taken the initiative to earn their MBAs. One positive byproduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom is that the nation is guaranteed a fresh infusion of battle-tested officers, many of whom will go to business school and take their place as an emerging generation of leaders in the world of commerce. Their time spent on the front lines will ensure that they will be able to help improve their companies' bottom lines. And the best companies are setting their recruiting sights—and those of the search firms they retain—on finding and hiring these proven veterans as corporations' hope for the future and the next generation of leadership.

Al Chase is founder of White Rhino Partners, an executive search firm in Cambridge, Mass. .