At Your Service

 

Think your project has risks? Critical dependencies? Demanding stakeholders? Unrealistic expectations? Military veterans know more than most people about how these project management challenges play out in real time.

Military veterans, like few others, have truly absorbed the lessons of teamwork, commitment, planning and trust. They have embodied these principles while completing all kinds of missions under extreme conditions.

And many of these folks can also tell you that the military’s vaunted reputation for discipline is most definitely not in conflict with agility, but rather that these mindsets serve as necessary, balancing principles when working under adverse conditions with non-negotiable stakes.

That said, it is simply not acceptable that former military service members are often underemployed and undervalued, leading to unsatisfying post-military careers. Project Management Institute agrees. PMI has long recognized the benefits that military veterans can bring to the workforce as they transition to civilian life, and it has a dedicated program with resources to help.

The fact is, today’s job market demands highly qualified and skilled individuals who can get up to speed quickly and make an immediate impact on business results. And organizations know that hiring former military personnel can be a winning strategy for maintaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. After all, they already possess the power skills and experience needed to become successful project managers, from strong leadership to strategic thinking and, yes, grace under pressure.

To this point, PMI was recently featured in the Lifetime television program Operation Career hosted by Montel Williams. Operation Career captures the stories of military veterans transitioning  into civilian life. The segment features PMI membership product manager and military spouse Kerry Brooks and PMI member and veteran Eric “Doc” Wright, who share their experiences with the military and how PMI is a valuable partner to U.S. military personnel, veterans and spouses. The show will air again October 16 at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Check out the PMI program and the show. It’s great to see this kind of win-win effort highlighted.