11 Nov 2016

The Character of the American Veteran: My Project RELO Experience

posted in: Alumni, Project RELO | 0

When I agreed to take part in the Project RELO experience, I was about as informed as you are now. All I knew is that it had something to do with spending time with military vets. Perhaps like you, I thought I had a good handle on the value that America’s veterans bring to an organization. Leadership, of course. Tenacity, certainly. Endurance, check. However, after going through Project RELO, my perspective has permanently been altered, and I see that while those are qualities that vets unquestionably bring to the table, they woefully understate their value.

Project RELO is a non-profit that brings business leaders together with veterans on a multi-day series of “missions” on a military base. For a short three days, business leaders live what can only be described as a glimpse of the military experience. We witness the kind of deep professional education, personal development, character building, and intellectual challenges that have defined their military careers.

During the day, our military vets were our guides at the massive Camp Grayling in Northern Michigan. Our “battle buddies” took us through simulators where we fired imitation rounds from real machine guns and other military weapons. They ran us through convoy training and virtual reality simulations. We experienced mock negotiations with tribal leaders, navigated underground sewer tunnels, and simulated an urban assault. This just scratched the surface of helping us appreciate the extent to which our military members are trained.

At night, we debriefed, ate dinner, and had deeply earnest discussions around the fire. Incidentally, this was my first experience sleeping in a tent (best sleep ever). We learn from the veterans, in a very personal way, what they bring to an organization.

Although it can hardly be compared to a military experience, Project RELO enabled me to formulate a mental model of how military experience brings out the adaptive, collaborative, communicative, and loyalty traits in these men and women. These are merits that so many companies in corporate America say are terribly hard to find. It is best to grasp these qualities by meeting my veteran friends:

Casey: Each business leader was assigned a battle buddy. Casey was mine for the first half. Casey is a young, enthusiastic, incredibly energetic, highly intelligent young man with a strong sense of kinship. Immediately upon meeting Casey, you are part of his family. His loving and empathetic nature could lead you to believe that he was raised with strong parental bonds. Negative. It was his many deployments overseas, in battle and in peace, that kindled his collaborative spirit and his recognition of the value in every person. It was during his infantry experience, starting at age 18, where Casey formed his notion family. Casey depended on his team in the ways his team depended on him: emotionally, professionally, and, at times, existentially.

Marsha: Marsha turned 29 years old on this trip. She had been in the military for 10 years. Marsha decided early on in her career that she would take every opportunity that the military afforded her to build on her already solid foundation of intelligence. She took whatever downtime she had, even when deployed overseas, to study new languages, learn new skills, collecting associate degrees and certifications along the way. Marsha has a hard to describe warmth and sweetness about her that draws people in. You immediately know that she is a person with whom you want to spend time. A person that you want to converse with and who makes it very easy to open up. These qualities no doubt served her well professionally. Marsha’s job in the military was gathering human intelligence.

Mike: Mike (“Fletch”) claims to have only two emotions. While he may only show two, spend any amount of time with him and you get the strong sense that he is a far more complex person. A first responder now, Mike’s military career was as a Naval Officer. His passion and talent is developing others. Mike took us through a simulation that demonstrated the difficulty of keeping a motorized convoy together. Without realizing what was happening to us, we (the business folks) went from a disorganized mess to a semi-organized team. During our de-briefing, Mike helped us realize that the difference from our beginning to our end was that we discovered the power of communication. If Mike could bring us that far and make us feel that proud in an hour, imagine spending your career under his tutelage.

Jimmy “Fixit”: Jimmy “Fixit” was my battle buddy for the second half. He is without question the most selfless person I have every had the pleasure of knowing. We call him Jimmy Fixit because there is nothing he cannot fix. Part of a familial line of welders, it is not just his ample technical skill that makes up his gift. His military experience honed his resolve, creativity, and genuine desire to make others safe, happy, and great. Forget any notion of vets being rigid and protocol-driven. He showed me that one of the most valuable skills that a military vet brings is adaptability. Jimmy is quick to tell you he loves you, and he means it.

Rick: Proud father of four in West Seattle. Rick is warm, kind, and has a razor sharp intellect. He better. He is a retired US Coast Guard Rear Admiral. From Rick, I learned that American vets bring more than technical skill to a project. They bring an adaptive and collaborative mindset that is often overlooked when thinking about vet value. Rick taught me the importance of character, which is essential when you are the Commander for keeping over 3000 men and women (sometimes over 4000) in a state of readiness to respond to just about any emergency situation. Rick is the perfect gentleman.

Christian: Our guide for Project RELO, Christian, embodies and personifies leadership done well. When you talk to Christian, you are the only thing in the world that is important. You want to succeed because he wants you to succeed. You won’t fail because he assures you that you won’t fail. He will subtly facilitate the kind of teamwork, collaboration, and support that drives you to want to make others succeed. Christian loves people, teams, organizations, and of course, the veterans. All he wants from you is to share that passion. He does this by tapping into your potential and helping you realize your part — your value — in the team experience. Christian was a Captain in the Marines and is now the CIO of a large global enterprise organization.

Adaptivity. Collaboration. Passion. Compassion. Command. Character. Intellectual horsepower. Empathy. Scale. Enthusiasm. These descriptors appear time and again in corporate job descriptions and reqs. And here they are, in ample supply, in our military veterans, just waiting to be applied to the corporate domain. It seems to me that correcting the veteran underemployment problem should, in theory, be a no-brainer. Yet it hasn’t happened.

What I learned about our military veterans in this immersive training experience was nothing short of profound. Everything I knew about vets before was cliché. Eating with them, sleeping with them, learning from them, relying on them, laughing with them, crying with them, they awakened in me the pathway for developing the same attributes that I admired so greatly. If they could give me this level of personal growth in 72 hours, imagine what they could bring your organization.

 

Read the article on the Microsoft blog, HERE.

10 Aug 2016

TLP010: Leadership and Followership at all Levels

posted in: Project RELO | 0

In this episode, Christian Anschuetz shares his intention-based leadership style, and how his military career influenced his leadership style, and helped him thrive in a corporate career.  He also discusses how he aims to change the lives of veterans through his work with Project Relo. He talks about the need for leaders throughout the organization – regardless of title.  He also discusses how “followership” is key.  He defines effective leadership as one where an environment exists where people work outside their comfort zone, innovate, and work with a “spring in their step.”  Basically, effective leadership is when people follow willingly. As a leader, Christian creates teams of people who are innovative, support each other through risky situations, and help one another to eliminate the fear of failure.

Listen to the podcast in its entirety HERE
11 Jul 2016

No Ordinary Leadership Training

posted in: Project RELO | 0

The night was full of sound as the team made their way back to their encampment. In the distance heavy guns roared, spitting their massive rounds into the air, their shells landing only a short distance away. Nonplussed by the cannon fire, the dirty and exhausted group of men and women talked about what they had collectively accomplished, experienced, and learned earlier that day. As the team of business executives and transitioning military veterans discussed the lessons of leadership, team and camaraderie building, they listened to the artillery rounds whistle through the air overhead…

Clearly this was no ordinary leadership training event. Instead of a classroom or conference hall these students worked and learned in the training grounds surrounding one of our country’s largest military training facilities. Rather than listening to the lecture of an academic or pundit, the lessons were hands-on, in the field, with visceral instruction provided by the best trained leaders our nation can produce. This was a Project RELO mission, and it was here that corporate executives and veterans collaborated to teach, learn, team and lead by example.

There is nothing typical about Project RELO. As a nonprofit dedicated to correcting the veteran underemployment problem, its focus is on corporate America. With 35% of firms citing the talent gap as one of their greatest challenges, organizations are hungry for employees that are resilient, adaptive, selfless team members and skilled leaders. Companies that send executives on a Project RELO mission invest in the leaders they have, while simultaneously coming to understand that our veterans are rich in the skills and character that they require to run and grow their businesses.

The immersive, physical, and even gritty environments in which the training was conducted was similarly unique. Starting on Camp Grayling in Northern Michigan, the course began in the military simulators where participants fired simulated rounds from real machine guns and other military weapons. Convoy training and virtual reality simulations enhanced the instruction and laid the framework for understanding the nature and extent of how our military members are trained.

Yet it was on the second day that participants learned that there is far more to our veterans than firing weapons and destroying the enemy. Through interaction and example, Project RELO’s veteran mentors and instructors made it clear why our military is the world’s mightiest, not just because of the technological dominance of our weapons, but also because of the strength of our service members’ character and training. As one executive observed during the last Project RELO mission, “I simply had no idea that our veterans have such a diverse and relevant set of skills.” He ended with, “I need people like this”.

Leadership instruction was only one aspect of the Project RELO exercise. Other “lessons” were spontaneous and profound. In one case, an executive participant balked at navigating the underground tunnels in the combat town training area. Claustrophobia made the underground walls feel like they were destined to crush him. Having to choose between succumbing to his fears, or potentially disappointing the decorated war hero directly in front of him, he chose to press ahead. As he emerged from the tunnel complex his elation was real, his pride and sense of accomplishment palpable.

Another lesson was taught and learned when the group was observing a live-fire mortar exercise. An executive participant dropped a coveted challenge coin, quickly losing it between between the floorboards of the observation deck. As he looked down to determine whether there was any way to retrieve the lost item, he noticed two veteran team members were already crawling underneath the structure to retrieve the coin.

Throughout life we often forget that which we once learned. Reminders are often necessary. During Project RELO missions, we recall many important, basic tenets. In this case, everyone was reminded that great leadership requires superlative followership, and that selflessness is a critical virtue for any effective team member. It is also an essential ingredient for any leader.

The third and final day ended quietly. Like the two mornings before, the group fired up their vehicles and lined up in formation to depart. Today, no artillery blasted the nearby ranges. The 50 cals were silent. As the group navigated the winding trails there was a sense of accomplishment, but also something bigger and more pervasive. Both business executives and military veterans alike had earned each others respect and trust. Life-long lessons were learned, bonds were formed, and memories created that will never be forgotten.

All in a span of 72 hours.

Clearly this was no ordinary leadership training event.

– Christian Anschuetz
19 Mar 2016

A Common Thread…

posted in: Project RELO | 0

I have never been part of the military. I know a few people who have, but frankly, not many. We have been at war for 15 years and I can count all of the veterans that I personally know who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan and still have several fingers left over. I am neither proud nor ashamed of this; it’s simply an observation. Having spent my entire life in “corporate America”, I can’t help but feel that I am not alone; that I am not the exception.

Like everyone in life that you encounter, there is a big difference between the veterans you meet. Points-of-view, interests, behaviors, etc. vary. Although by no means monolithic, the veterans I do know, share common threads. There is a sense of duty, pride, esprit de corps, and honor that is common in, literally, every veteran I know. Since contemplating the creation of Project Relo, I have reflected how these are the many of the attributes that exist in my most effective colleagues. With individual diversity, combined with these winning attitudes, why aren’t more of my colleagues veterans?

Several years ago, I joined up with a group of colleagues who would spend several weekends a year going off-road, and camping. We’d load up our rigs and head out into the National Forests of Michigan. As the group grew, we realized that there was a magnetic pull towards the military veterans amongst us. They demonstrated leadership, problem-solving abilities, competitiveness, patience and were always people we could count on the most.

Project Relo brings this all together. We are creating a network of hiring authorities and military veterans with the goal of educating these executives on the benefit of enabling the careers of the veterans. Our culminating networking events have both executives and veterans joining us on one of our off-road adventures.

I’m proud to be part of this effort. We need everyone’s help in creating this valuable network. If you’re a veteran, a member of the business community, or you simply agree with our mission and want to help out, we encourage you to join Project Relo today.

– Michael

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