European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 22, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse A 5 �3 a 3 sunday july 22,1990 the stars and stripes a a Pago 15patton image business news sex by Randy Mcclain financial write if Gen. George s. Patton were alive today could he land a Job As a top manager in private Industry Patton perhaps americans Best known if not its Best loved Soldier might have been the right Guy to command armoured Waitiers in Battle with the nazis at the end of world War ii but head have been a Lousy Choice to run the factory that built the tanks. Its All a question of style a management style a stateside personnel experts said. How Welt or poorly military officers manage is a topic receiving a lot of scrutiny these Days As a grow ing number of Young officers worrying about their future in a trimmed Down military took for jobs in corporate America. Personnel experts said some military officers Arentt ready for the civilian world because they re trying too hard to act like the autocratic Patton. A a we be hired military officers in the past and some have had a hard time adjusting to civilian life a a said Ralph Shiflett who screens Job applicants for the Field engineering Arm of the Bendix corp. In Columbia my. Quot obviously the management style in the military is different. There you expect people to jump. In civilian life you done to always get things accomplished by being forceful Quot Shiflett said. A working with civilian people they can Tell you to go jump in the fortunately according to two other stateside personnel specialists military officers have Learned a lot in recent years that should help them stay High and dry. A the military does have its fair share of bureaucratic inflexible and non creative people but i Tell you what. The younger officers today Are very different than they were 10 years ago said Rene Brooks co owner of a Texas based firm that places military personnel in Middle management jobs with companies such As coca cola and Procter amp Gamble. A the military is changing with the times Quot she said. Most Junior officers believe in team or participatory style management today As opposed to behaving like hard nosed Drill sergeants a she said. That bodes Well for the future. Private Industry wants managers who can motivate employees without resorting to bully tactics. Lou Benjamin owner of Atlanta a military recruiting Institute agreed with Brooks. But he added one word of caution. The armed forces Are making Progress he said but the nature of the beast is such that officers can still throw their weight around to get the Job done if All else fails. A whether the military wants it or not a Captain can still say a do it because in a the Captain and i said As a result Benjamin said a few private companies Are still hesitant to hire a military officers. Brooks said however that the narrow View that Allex officers Are miniature patrons is fading away As greater numbers of former soldiers become corporate stars. Capt. Bill Mclendon a 10-year air Force Veteran who plans to leave the service for a stateside Job next summer thinks sex military men and women should be judged As individuals not As stereotypes. A a in a say the same Type of individual is being sought after by the military As in the corporate world a said Mclendon who is assigned to the 8th air support operations group in popping in West Germany. A it All comes Down to How you discipline yourself How you accept responsibility and How you Mclendon said Good officers earn respect they done to demand it. And he figures a Good manager does much the same in the business world. Next year he Hopes to prove his Point. By Randy Mcclain financial writer. Rob Fischer was the kind of officer who could have starred in a Slick to and Campaign designed to attract Bright recruits to the army. Trouble is Fischer quit the army earlier this month after 3 i years of service to look for a new Job in the United states. The 26-Yearold former lieutenant who has a College degree in applied physics decided life in the military did no to offer much of a future. A with the political realities in Europe its Only a matter of time until our presence is significantly diminished Over Here Quot Fischer said a few Days before flying Home to Start Job Hunting. A i have to look out for Fischer Isnit alone. A growing number of Junior military officers a primarily lieutenants and captains is considering a return to civilian life As the . Milk Tail grapples with the idea of slashing its overseas fighting Force. At least that a the word from two of the largest executive recruiting companies in the United states both of which specialize in finding new jobs for military officers. Owners of Cameron Brooks inc. Of Fredericksburg Texas the no. 1 firm in the Field and the military recruiting Institute of Atlanta said their business is booming in part because officers Are concerned about surviving massive troop cuts in the Days ahead. A a we be had a 30 to 40-percent increase in inquiries from potential clients Quot said Rene Brooks a partner in the Cameron Brooks Agency a a there a no doubt there Are some nervous Junior officers out there. They feel like they can see the handwriting on the Lou Benjamin co owner of Fri said he signed up 30 new military clients during a swing through West Germany in March and he plans to return in november. A the crowds have been bigger this year Quot he said. A interest started building last fall and since january its been a Junior officers thinking about leaving the service Are motivated by a variety of personal and professional concerns the recruiters and several officers said. One major worry is that promotions will slow to a crawl As troop strength is lowered and Congress tightens the military budget. A i see things getting worse Quot said Fischer who recently became a Cameron Brooks client. A three and a half to four years to make Captain used to be the Norm. Sis Jomp Stowen capt. Bill Mclendon. A i want to try something different Quot a amps Lynda div Luton former it. Rob Fischer. A i have to look out for myself now you just sit on the promotion Fischer was last assigned with the 63rd signal in in Pir Masens West Germany. Brooks said her Agency has other clients who share Fischer a opinion. Quot typically in a peacetime military there Are not wonderful Long term career opportunities Quot Brooks said. A people see one of the ways to get out of that is to go to work for private Industry where promotions and pay raises Are both performance driven rather than determined by time served in a particular rank. It Brooks said her firm has placed former military officers in management positions with some of americans largest corporations including Procter amp Gamble coca cola and Mobil corp. Capt. Jay Repine formerly with the 59th Ord brigade in Pir Masens said two reasons he left the service in mid july were that promotions were too slow and that High achievers were treated no better than soldiers who performed at a minimum Standard in most cases a hundreds of people on a list get promoted at the same time Quot he said a even though there a a tremendous difference in Talent Between the Guy on the top of the list and the Guy on the Repine who served in the army for seven years said he wants to become a High school social sciences or math teacher. Other officers 30 and under said they plan to jump to the business world now out of a concern that if they wait much longer be too old or too set in their ways to risk change. Capt. Bill Mclendon a 30-year-old air Liaison officer with the 8th air support operations group in go Pingen West Germany said his age was the main Factor leading him to prepare a resume recently. Mclendon an f-15 Pilot before his current assignment plans to Trade in his flight suit for a three piece suit by next summer. By then hell have logged 10 years of air Force service Quot in be loved being a Pilot i m generally Happy. But i feel a need for a change in my Fife Quot said Mclendon who graduated first in Nis class from the . Air Force Academy in 1981. He later studied politics and economics As a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University in England. A i want to try something different and now is the right time Quot he said. A i Don t want to wait until in a 42 and i could retire from the air Force. If i wait 1 11 be less scalable to private executive recruiters said officers Are smartest to make the switch after three to seven years of military service. With less time than that on the Job an officer might not have demonstrated the leadership skills necessary to catch private Industry a Eye. But with More than six or seven years in the armed forces officers run the risk of becoming too authority continued on Page 16
