You want to Honour a Veteran - Hire One!

This weekend, we celebrate a very special Canada Day, 150 years since the birth of this fine Country.  I, like many Canadians, was not born here, but was fortunate that the winds of fortune brought me here and I have embraced the culture of openness and diversity that defines the Canadian experience.

This is a milestone year for Canada, not only are we celebrating 150 years, but we recently commemorated 100 years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge. As such it is appropriate to discuss the best way to honour the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces who have and continue to play a pivotal role in defining the Canadian experience.

For those who paid a high price and were injured in the service of Canada, there should be no debate that they should receive appropriate care and support.  Fortunately most veterans leave the Canadian Armed Forces with great experience and skills.  The best way to honour their service is to reach out, open doors and hire them.  From personal experience, the value that a veteran can bring to corporate Canada is incredible.

Canada and our Canadian Armed Forces

 Canadians have a deep emotional connection to the military, as has been demonstrated in the creation of the Highway of Heroes.  This grassroots movement brought home the reality of the Afghanistan conflict as Canadian’s turned out in thousands to line the bridges and roadways to honour our fallen on his or her final journey on the 401 from CFB Trenton to the Coroner’s Office in Toronto.

When it comes to the ill and injured, Canadians respond with their cheque books.  A variety of charitable organizations have emerged in the past decade and have raised millions of dollars to run programs and fund research to support these veterans and their families who have paid a very steep price for their service.  Here are two examples:

True Patriot Love Foundation (www.truepatriotlove.com), is focused on raising money and funding programs to support, amongst others, the recovery of injured veterans and their families.  One of the unique programs they developed is a series of Expeditions that, in addition to raising money, provide the opportunity for civilians to share an extreme experience with veterans.  

"This year The True Patriot Love Scotiabank Expedition: BEST OF CANADA Series will bring together a team of currently serving members or veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces with business and community leaders taking on a unique physical challenge. Working as a team to complete a mission, participants will face physical, emotional and mental roadblocks over a two-week period."

I have the incredible opportunity to participate in one of these expeditions. (https://truepatriotlove.akaraisin.com/tplexpedition/pgrosch).  We will be retracing part of the journey of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, the first person to cross North America in 1793.  We will hike over the Coast Mountains of BC, raft down the Bella Coola River and then ocean canoe to end the expedition at the Alexander Mackenzie monument.

In addition to the awesome adventure and challenge, we will be teamed up with Veterans - many of whom suffered operational stress or physical injury whilst in the service of Canada.  This expedition is a small part of their journey home, a worthwhile cause and one that is close to my heart.  I can think of no better way to celebrate Canada 150 and 100 Years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge than by supporting the men and women who have, through selfless service and sacrifice, helped shape Canada.

Invictus Games Toronto 2017 (https://www.invictusgames2017.com) In September, Toronto will host the Invictus Games Toronto 2017.  Outside of the appeal of HRH, Prince Harry who created the Games, the response by Canadians has been overwhelming, from sponsors, to volunteers and average families buying tickets to share in the Invictus experience.

"Invictus Games competitors are the men and women who have come face-to-face with the reality of making a sacrifice for their country. They are the mothers, fathers, husbands and wives who have put their lives on the line and have suffered life-changing injuries. These people are the embodiment of everything the Invictus Games stands for. They have been tested and challenged, but they have not been overcome. They have proven they cannot be defeated. They have the willpower to persevere and conquer new heights. The Games shine a spotlight on the sacrifices these men and women made serving their country, and their indefatigable drive to overcome."

For me, the line from the poem Invictus, by William Ernest Henley “I AM the master of my fate, I AM the captain of my soul,” captures the essence of the games.  This will be an epic experience, and I’d encourage you to share the experience with family and friends.

Completing the story

No one will argue that veterans, and their families, who carry the visible or invisible injuries from their service deserve our full support and respect.  Frequently in this dialogue however, little discussion is focused on the rest of the veteran community.

The military is the only institution where leadership is seen as a baseline requirement, and at a very young age, leadership skills are honed and developed.  This is not about the ability to give and receive orders.  This is about the ability to inspire and motivate ordinary people to do extraordinary things in challenging environments (nor by the way can you entice them with money and stock).

On top of the leadership skills, these veterans have deep technical skills across an incredibly broad range of disciplines.   In order to gain these skills, they go through intense selection and ongoing education.  They are also responsible for millions of dollars of equipment and often, countless lives - which other roles in industry do that to someone in their early twenties?  These skills are critical to succeed in the complex environment where the military is frequently required to serve. To gain a little insight into the complexity of modern war - I’d recommend reading General (Ret'd) Stanley McChrystal’s books “Team of Teams” (https://www.mcchrystalgroup.com/insights/teamofteams/)

When an individual decides to leave the military, the transition to a civilian career presents a new set of challenges.  In the quest to streamline recruiting, modern HR processes weigh heavily on specific and similar experiences which can make it difficult for a veteran, for example with a masters degree and 10 years’ military experience, to easily apply for an equivalent corporate role.  In addition, the cultural differences of the military family, that is frequently compared to a tribal structure, with the corporate world can present challenges to both the employer and the employee.

I have a great example at PwC, where we have been hiring veterans with a lot of success.  I met a young veteran who had served as a Combat Engineer with a focus on IED (Improvised Explosive Device) disposal.  In his deployment to Afghanistan he was responsible for a team of soldiers whose role it was to identify and disable IEDs.

I introduced him into our consulting recruiting process where he did very well.  During the recap, one of our interviewers outlined his perspectives.  “He is really smart and clearly a good team player, but given the time available we were not able to assess his problem solving capabilities”.  I asked if they questioned what he had done while serving in the Army, this was followed by a embarrassed silence and although he had gone through a comprehensive interview process, no one had asked about his military service.  When I asked them if they had seen the movie “The Hurt Locker” and explained that was his role.  I then asked, “How good are his problem solving skills?”  In unison, the evaluation team said “Pretty Good” - no kidding!

Progress has been made over the past few years, with organizations like Treble Victor Group -3V (http://www.treblevictor.org/) and Canada Company’s (https://www.canadacompany.ca/)  MET (Military Employment Transition Program), and as a result more organizations are getting on board and hiring veterans.

As you prepare to celebrate Canada 150, think of how you can honour the men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces, take a chance, open a door and hire a veteran. You will not be disappointed. They are goal oriented, resilient and used to working in environments where change is the norm.  They bring diverse skills including leadership, leading edge technology, engineering, planning and the practical experience to use these skills to achieve an outcome.

Happy Canada Day!

(thanks David Mack and Vivek Jassal for providing editorial support to this article, all mistakes are my own)