I’m writing this on my way back from Annapolis where I was on a multi-school leadership retreat with Columbia Business School, Wharton and the Naval Academy to share thoughts, opinions, and experiences with organizational change in both military and civilian settings. Everyone is figuring out how to attract and retain top millennials.
In the words of one of the keynotes: At least millennials are consistent. I can plan and manage consistency.
I spent the weekend dedicating my time to sitting in a bus for 10 hours doing more cases–more work. None of this for credit, merely a passion for learning and taking advantage of this really cool opportunity. The opportunity to mix with others, to get outside of our own school’s way of thinking and mixing with other bodies of thought.
As we worked towards drawing similarities between org change in private industries and the military, I couldn’t help but stand back in awe at the development and maturity of these midshipmen several years my junior. It was a mutual respect as many who were there from the military academy side have dreams and thoughts of attending top business schools. When there is that level of respect, great things come from it.
I was impressed by how many experiences we could share from our civilian experiences that parallel some of the difficult challenges the Navy (and all military are facing): retention of top performers and managing changing cultures.
In an organization that is built on sacrificing the self for the sake of the unit, there is a struggle with the individualistic motivations of younger men and women at those key decision points that are intrinsically individualistic: whether to extend service in the military beyond the initial commitment or pursue other unique interests. The current system doesn’t reward deviations from the planned path, and those who leave, tend to be high performers not incentivized to return.
So how can the military retain them? Could there be programs or systems put in place to enable both to occur? Could they provide enough incentive and opportunity for these high achievers to both pursue other opportunities while maintaining pace with promotions in the Navy? Would those additional skills and diversity of experience be valuable or valued in the military? Or is it better to just let them go reluctantly?
That was the backdrop for one of our cases…they were fun cases.
It was in the middle of one of the presentations about the different promotional paths Naval Aviators can take that I thought about business school and how it reminds me of steak.
Undoubtedly I was hungry and wanted a juicy steak (sorry vegetarians), but I thought more and more about it.
Business school is steak. It is a hefty meal in and of itself–just like doing the minimum required things to get an MBA. You’ll have done a lot. And if you eat the steak, you will be full with some great nutrients and calories to propel you forward.
But a steak by itself doesn’t make a meal.
What does make the meal memorable though, is using that steak to create a full-blown meal.
Make sure to add the appetizers, side dishes, and dessert to your steak.
What you do before school–both in years and weeks leading up to starting–is like an appetizer. It gives you a nice beginning into the working world; it gets you started, but you have bigger things in mind. You have the steak coming.
You can go on trips before school starts with fellow classmates like CBS World Tour. You can network with future peers and even reach out to alumni before you start–all to get things going for the next course of your life. Sure you can dive right into the main course, but an amazing appetizer just gets the whole meal setup.
The main course is supplemented with sides like mushrooms and creamed spinach (my top two sides). Your sides might be different–perhaps a baked potato or broccoli–and that’s great. These are the clubs and activities that you can take advantage of on top of the general program–very much like this leadership retreat. Alone, the sides are great, but mixed and integrated with the steak, it takes the taste to a whole new level. It brings more meaning to the MBA.
It lets you appreciate the steak and bring out different flavors that the steak would have never had without the sides.
And finally comes the dessert. We have the opportunity to intern during the school year and summertime to get our foot in the door with starting a company, or interning at a company we’ve been dreaming of or been wanting to try. If it works out, the internship leads to a job offer, if not–we have time to look for other things with this past experience under our belt. These internships top off the MBA and ultimately lead to the next steps in our career.
At which point, we are full.
We are ready to move on.
And we have maximized our opportunity to transform a steak into an unforgettable meal.
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