Managing employees means learning the nuances of individuals and finding ways to nurture their unique qualities while ensuring that everyone is meeting the same set of standards. It can be incredibly challenging, particularly when you have a large or deeply diverse group of employees.
When you work with veterans, you are given the sometimes-rare gift of employees with strong skillsets, including a great sense of loyalty and responsibility. Veterans make for some of the best employees you could ask for, and if you are able to foster the gifts that time in the service has given them, you are very likely building what will become strong leaders.
As a leader, it is always a best practice to play to your employees’ strengths, while working in ways to help them build up their weaknesses. Learning how to do exactly this with your crew members who are also vets is something you will never regret.
Foster the Person, Not the Experiences
Time served in the military certainly shapes a person in ways that differ greatly from civilian life, but those experiences are not all that a vet is. While you seek to foster the skill sets gained, you also have to keep in mind that a transitioning vet is trying to define what their civilian life is going to look like. Make sure you are catering your management to the person—and not just the experiences that person has had.
Leadership ability is often thought of as a natural byproduct of time served in the military, and while veterans often show strong potential in this skill, it doesn’t mean that is what they desire for their civilian career. Allow your vets room to grow in their job as much as they want rather than pushing them into positions they may not be comfortable with. A strong leader is valuable in any position on your team.
Create open lines of communication to help someone who has served better understand HR practices as well. The military operates completely outside of what the civilian workforce is accustomed to, so processes and procedures can be particularly confusing for someone who has served a long time in the armed forces.
Let Them Be
Even with a veteran who has no desire to climb the ladder, or one who struggles to understand the procedures of a civilian workforce, avoiding micromanaging is a great way to make them feel comfortable. Veterans are used to being assigned a task and being expected to do it with little guidance.
Make sure your expectations are clear, as well as any necessary instructions, and then let your employees tackle the task at hand. Let them know how to communicate with you as needed so there is always an option for backup.
Along with allowing them room to operate on their own, offer educational opportunities or even just the opportunity to sit and chat. This is a great way to mentor these staff members as you help them transition to this new phase of their lives.
Your veteran staff members can shine on your team with a little structure and leadership. You can foster them to become a great leader, even if they never take a higher position. And in the end, it’s very likely they will help you become a better manager as well.
Ready to manage a crew of your own and foster their strengths? Contact us and start the franchise of your dreams.