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| Lt. Col Rooney -- "People in the military and people in industry are all motivated by success," says Lt. Col. Chris Rooney USMC-Ret.
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| Motivation in the Workplace |
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By Wayne E. Pollard
August 2003
Continued from page 1 |
Being able to motivate people to achieve a mission is key to success in the military. The same also is true in the business world.
"You still have to center people's hearts and minds around what is the mission," he says.
For example, at AT&T, industry leadership is critical. "We're highly motivated to maintain that leadership," Rooney says.
Rooney notes one key similarity between the military and the business world: every woman and man in both are volunteers. Thus, the same motivational techniques apply.
Rooney also notes just as the Marine Corps' culture is slightly different from the Army's, companies, too, have different cultures. Successful motivators adapt their style to the techniques of the leadership of each company.
"You've got to understand the terrain in which you are going to operate," Rooney says.
When seeking to understand the corporate terrain, it's also important not to make assumptions. For example, when motivating people to accomplish a mission in business, do not assume they can do a particular job.
"Whatever you expect of somebody, you have to train them," says Jim Achille, president, chief executive officer, and founder of Security Management Partners, a network security firm based in Arlington, Mass.
Achille entered the Army in 1966 and left as a first lieutenant in 1969. He did one tour of Vietnam, where he was a platoon leader and company commander in the infantry.
When motivating people to accomplish a mission, Achille says it's important to consider whether they can do the job or not.
"The military assumes you can do the job," he says.
This assumption is based on the excellent training the military provides. Companies, however, often assume people can do a task when they actually may lack training. This lack of training can create problems.
"This is something in civilian life you have to always think about," says Achille.
One key to effective motivation in the workplace Achille learned in the military is the importance of praise.
"Praise is a good thing," he says. "When people do a good job, they need to be told."
The military gives medals and performance reviews. Similarly, in the business world, effective motivation requires recognizing people's accomplishments.
"You've got to give people the understanding that you appreciate what they've done," he adds.
Mark Woodsum, chairman, president, and CEO of The Foreside Co., in Goreham, Maine, noticed a major difference between performance in the military versus the business world that must be considered when motivating people.
In the military, "the standards are very high," he says. "You're not always going to get the same level of commitment [in corporate America]."
From 1982 to 1983, Woodsum was an Army Ranger and afterwards was the commander of a Nuclear Emergency Search team. He then served as a diplomat in Bombay, India. In 1990, Woodsum and his wife, Claire, founded The Foreside Co., an international wholesaler of home furnishings and decorative accessories. In 1997, The Foreside Company was listed as No. 48 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies.
As a Ranger, Woodsum often got only two hours of sleep. If he asked people in corporate America to routinely do this, he says, they would quit.
"You do not have the authority an officer has in the military," Woodsum says. "In corporate America, if I'm a bad leader, people will quit and leave."
Officers motivating people in corporate America must keep this in mind. In addition, the skills used to effectively motivate in the military are the same skills needed to successfully motivate in the business world. Although there are differences between military life and life in corporate America, it is possible to make the transition to the business world and become an effective motivator.
Officers are successful in the military because they can get ordinary people to do extraordinary things through inspirational leadership, says Krulak.
"Take that same skill to the civilian world, and you will be successful," he says.
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