Why You Should Hire a Vet
Monday marks an important day in our nation’s history. It’s Memorial Day. While many of us will be grilling up some burgers and enjoying the warm weather with our family and friends, this day honors the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country— laying down their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
I know I’m not the only veteran who believes the military helped him prepare for a career.
I had the privilege and honor to serve in the Navy shortly after graduating from the University of Utah in 1954. When I was commissioned, I opted for the Supply Corps. My father was rapidly expanding our Hot Shoppes restaurant chain and was about to branch into the hotel business. I learned a lot in my two years of active duty that I've applied throughout my career. First was how important it is to have respect for the people who work under you. Second, I learned the value of asking good questions. The officers and petty officers whom I admired the most were never afraid to ask "how are you doing?" and "what can I do to help?"
I know I’m not the only veteran who believes the military helped him prepare for a career. Our recently retired vice president of learning at Marriott, Steve Bauman, is a veteran who was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done. “Very little was different for me in my leadership role in the military and the one with Marriott," he told me. "In both cases my goal was to inspire a workforce in a common direction.”
Brian Schmidt, another veteran, is security supervisor at one of the largest hotels in our company, the Orlando World Center Marriott. He believes, “learning how to work with different people and different cultures gave me the opportunity to be open-minded. That works whether overseas on a tour of duty or being part of this hotel team.”
The military also instills values like loyalty, respect, integrity, and honor. For my own company, these values made their transition seamless. We value the same things in our associates.
Veterans gain strong leadership skills through their training and service. I’m proud that our company hires veterans. But more, I’m lucky we hire veterans.
Join me at Overheard@Marriott
Continent Manager @ Trimble Inc. | Remote Pilot Certification
8ygood one, at least we could help in some way to pay our respect by keeping in mind of the sacrifice of men and women in uniform.
Student at Alagappa University
8yHow will be rich and I should job im trouble in my life my age is 33year 6month I m finicialy week 8737836174 this is my contact no
Access Control - ESS Systems
8yThere's nothing like bringing that Hoah spirit to the workforce. Trust me, it's contagious.
Trusted Advisor and Executive Consultant in complex Change Interventions, General Management & IT Management Excellence
8yVets are a special cadre of professionals. They typically have been tried and tested by the crucible of field experiences that challenges their capabilities in multiple dimensions - emotional and intellectually. The difference is that in the services, mistakes have the dire consequences of costing lives. The gravity of leadership is never more clear and present. The virtues, values and principles that they are socialized and practiced with are eminently transferable. They are also trained to manage uncertainty and ambiguity. We have a saying " plan with rigor all you want but when your boots hit the ground, be prepared to adapt, improvise and overcome". This ultimate 'situational leadership" is something every business facing a dynamically changing business environment can benefit from.In addition, vets already have a common language for effective cross-organizational collaboration.