While I don’t have experience with all branches of the military, I did spend seven years of my life serving in the Army and the Air Force (3 and 4 respectively). This being the case, I can assure you that there are a few principles that every veteran will remember until the day they die!
No, it is not Semper Fi, (although a valuable concept), it is not the maximum effective range of an M-16 A2 rifle or even knowing “what makes the green grass grow”. The two most valuable lessons that Bob Nicoli (the founder of Teltek) and I (the current CEO of Teltek) learned in the Army and now govern our company by are:
- Attention to Detail
- Teamwork is the Key
Those of you who served in the Army are surely familiar with the above… usually in the same breath! For those who did not serve, I will explain. You see, when going through basic training in the Army, you are not viewed as an individual but rather looked at as a group (platoon) of about 60 men/women. If one person shows up late, is not dressed properly, cannot recite important items like the Army Core Values (or any other one of the thousands of expectations you have as a solider) the whole group “learns” to correct this behavior together.
The drill sergeant usually identifies the problem to the group in a loud, smart-assed sluggish and unforgettable tone “Private (fill in the blank) does not understand the importance of being in formation on time (or whatever the fault is) so now we must exercise”. The remaining 59 members of the platoon (team) immediately drop into the lean-and-rest (push-up) position and begin to rapidly do push-ups while chanting “attention to detail” on their way down, “teamwork is the key” on their way back up… over and over again. Everyone does this, even the drill sergeant, but the one person who made the error usually does not.
The drill sergeants make such a big deal out of this because the principles of attention to detail and teamwork save lives on the battlefield. As a solider, your number one job is to stay alive to protect yourself and your fellow soldier… if you are late or forget your rifle, you and your “battle-buddy” are not likely to last long.
Consider how this relates to the principles of a service company – the platoon is the group of your coworkers; if one person drops the ball, everyone suffers. The drill sergeant is the boss or CEO – while he/she may or may not yell at you, ultimately they are punished as well (hence the drill sergeant does pushups alongside of his soldiers)… and the one private (employee that screwed up) gets off scott-free. Don’t worry, this is not for long because the “brand” of the military promotes teamwork and instead of only having to worry about the drill sergeant, the one goof-off now has 59 other peers to hold him/her accountable to living up to the expectations of the platoon.
I have suggested these “management” principles once or twice over the years here at Teltek, needless to say, having the whole company stop working to drop into the lean-and-rest position while waiting for the one employee that is running late did not go over so well!
However, Teltek is compiled of a small group of like-minded people who work together to accomplish one core goal: to be the best (not necessary the largest) technology solutions provider in Maryland. If you have visited one of our offices, you will likely notice Teltek’s mission, vision, and values engraved on a plaque within footsteps of entering the building (in the Army you wear these around your neck 24X7 on your dog tags). Every Monday morning at 8:00 sharp we have an “all hands on deck” meeting to hold each other accountable to these principles, review the past week and look ahead into the future – in the Air Force, this is what they call formation and it is held every morning on the flight deck to prepare for the day.
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