10 amazing reasons to hire a veteran

Editor’s note: Today is National Hire a Veteran Day.

By CHAD STORLIE

Special to The Press

The phrase “Hire a veteran” has been a staple of the U.S. economy for decades. Business leaders already realize that military veterans are hard workers, team players, ethical, driven and technically skilled. What they don’t realize: Ten hidden reasons that make every veteran a great employee and potential business leader.

1. The ability to work 24/7/365 in all weather with great results. The world of logistics, retail, food service, hospitality, manufacturing, and finance never stops. Military veterans inherently understand the importance of working to high standards with a dual focus on quality and safety. This ability to work regardless of the hands on the clock or numbers on the calendar are an incredible value to an employer.

2. Veterans are teachers. Any military member from any service and any military occupation knows that teaching peers, superiors and subordinates is a central part of any job. Few non-military employees realize the importance of constant, hands-on, high-quality personal coaching and teaching to perfect existing skills and learn new ones.

3. They aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. When I was in Iraq, my planning team of officers from captains to colonels took our turn burning human waste in the August heat in Baghdad. Soldiers from Africa to Iraq to Afghanistan have done the same. As a group of senior officers, we were no different and had to do our share. The willing ability to get your hands covered is a distinct sign of military can-do attitude and culture that the Marines, the Coast Guard and every service in between possesses.

4. Veterans know diversity makes great teams. A lot of businesses espouse the virtue of diversity but do not fully appreciate the strength that true racial, gender, socioeconomic and geographic diversity bring to a team. Military members have experienced true diversity daily and produced better results because of the diversity that encompasses them daily. Businesses know diversity is vitally important, and military veterans know how to use diversity as a true strength.

5. They take stress with a smile. Stress grows as competition grows. Customers demand more because high levels of quality and service are the norm, not the exception. Military veterans know that humor, teamwork, high performance levels, and consistent quality are the best ways to perform under stress for long periods of time. Stress with a smile is a hallmark of military veteran workers.

6. Veterans understand they must work their way up. Military veterans typically start their careers at the bottom. When military personnel transfer into a new unit and duty station, they must relearn the ropes, understand the culture and discern how the new team operates. Veterans understand they must come in to a new organization, learn the ropes, and demonstrate their proficiency for a new position. This understanding — the idea that that starting at the bottom does not mean that you remain at the bottom — is what makes veterans great entry-level employees.

7. They understand work-life balance. Work-life balance is never 50-50: Sometimes the pendulum swings. Military veterans understand how to maintain standards, complete the work and still allow soccer games to be watched, plays to be attended and set aside time for family vacation. All military veterans have missed an important family activity. Veterans can keep a strong work focus and still ensure that family and personal time remain a priority.

8. Veterans volunteer. Military veteran are always the first employees to volunteer for an extra shift or to help another team member. This willingness to volunteer reveals an inherent maturity in military veteran employees: They understand organizations and their employees need to be flexible, agile and understanding of changes because of unexpected events or new requirements.

9. They will pick up the trash. One of the first things military organizations do in the day is walk their area of responsibility and pick up trash. I still remember picking up trash as a lieutenant colonel because everyone else was. If a private is picking up trash, then shouldn’t a lieutenant colonel? Trash pick-up also gives everyone a level of pride in their organization. Finally, as Navy carrier operations demonstrate, making everyone walk the carrier deck looking for objects that could damage aircraft creates a safer, more effective and higher operational unit. Trash pickup is a little task that demonstrates the pride of an organization.

10. They will train their replacement. I’ve worked for organizations where leaders did not train or teach their subordinates because they were worried about being replaced. In the military, leaders know that training and teaching team members to understand and excel in your responsibility is how you create new leaders and how you make your replacement better than you. Military veterans see training their replacement as a part of their job and not a threat to their career.

Employers should always seek to hire the best employee. Hiring a military veteran ensures that an employer gets a great employee with many hidden skillsets that will benefit the organization for years to come.

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Chad Storlie is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer and the author of two books. He has been published in more than 200 publications. He’s an adjunct professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.