Are NCOs underrated in Corporate America?

I am at the finish line of my transition from active duty. I've squared away my Texas National Guard enlistment to continue serving part-time and I've been applying for jobs daily.

Last summer, I commented about the programs that corporate America has to offer Junior Military Officers, or JMOs, as they leave military service. I still understand the thought process behind this recruiting practice, and still do not want to take anything away from it. I still and always will believe that JMOs are a vital part of the military. By virtue of the things they do in uniform and the positions they hold, they have skills and experiences that can transfer to the corporate world in a major way.

But what about the leaders that helped shape these JMOs as they entered the operational force of their particular services? What about Non-commissioned leaders that helped these JMOs develop into true leaders? Where are the NCO programs for the enlisted leader who has just as much leadership experience, if not more in some cases.

To get to the root of this issue, we have to first examine the role of the Non-commissioned Officer. From an Army perspective, these folks have 2 basic responsibilities: accomplish the mission by taking the Commander’s intent and making it reality and looking out for the welfare of the junior Soldiers, professionally and personally. Additionally, many of these enlisted leaders are also doing the same duties as junior officers. In fact, it is safe to say that most JMOs probably learned how to correctly accomplish these duties from an NCO. As an E-5, I have helped mold quite a few JMOs by training them on how to meet and exceed expectations of the senior leadership within the unit. When my former 1LT Platoon Leader needed guidance on our communication equipment to include in a brief to the Brigade commander, who did he turn to? The NCOs in the platoon. Who did he ask to proofread said brief before submitting it to his boss? The NCOs in the platoon. So, if these Non-commissioned Officers, or NCOs, are the ones getting the job done and indeed training these officers, who may become “Leaders of Industry” in the civilian world, why do not more Non-commissioned Officer programs exist in the corporate world?

Part of the problem is that Non-commissioned Officers are just that…Non-commissioned, that is to say, they either do not have the college degree required to receive a commission in the military or they do have the degree, but choose not to be officers. The issue is that many civilian leadership positions require a Bachelors Degree. This poses yet another interesting question…who may be a better candidate for a supervisory position in a civilian job, based off of education and experience…the E-5 with a few college credits who has successfully led personnel, helped members of their team move up in rank, and maintained equipment worth astronomical amounts of money for 6 or 7 years, or the 1LT who did some of the same things for 4 years? If the concern is that these enlisted leaders are not well-rounded or “formally educated” enough, then this speaks even more to the need for NCO development programs to help address those concerns and fine tune these proven leaders’ potential in a corporate setting.

I still refer to one company who is looking at this qualified candidate pool. Safeway, a grocery chain in the Western U.S. and Canada, has supported employment of veterans through its JMO/NCO Program. In 2012, Safeway hired nearly 1,500 veterans, including over 1,300 of them in the company's retail stores. Safeway has also committed to hiring at least another 1,500 veterans by the end of 2013.

"We saw an opportunity to recruit new kinds of leaders who will become an important and critical part of our future," said Larree Renda, Safeway’s executive vice president. "Our JMO and NCO recruiting program officially launched in 2010. We accept applicants who have been officers or Non-commissioned Officers in the military and place them in an accelerated leadership program." Graduates qualify for store manager and assistant manager jobs and a range of other manager-level positions in the distribution and backstage departments at Safeway. Additionally, Safeway’s salaries for these positions are not shabby. According to Glassdoor.com, the average total compensation for an assistant manager is $57,214, while store managers’ total pay averages $88,632. If Safeway, and a few other companies, are open-minded enough to acknowledge that NCOs can contribute to the success of the organization in management positions, why don’t other companies?

So, what are the solutions? Yes, “civilianizing” accomplishments and potential on the resume will help separating/retiring enlisted leaders, but only if employers are willing to start recognizing that practical and proven leadership experience should be looked upon in a positive light, just like the college degree. Secondly, NCOs should seek out higher education while serving. The money is there, and best of all, it is free in most cases. Thirdly, companies should continue to hire Veterans into talent acquisition positions. Veterans that recruit for a company have an outlook that those who have never served could not understand and know what NCOs can offer a company. Also, establish programs that hone in on those enlisted leaders who can and have led in high-stress situations, but may not have sought out college education.

My hope is that more companies learn that JMOs are not the only capable leaders leaving the military, nor are they the only educated leaders leaving the military. For example, I am a Non-commissioned Officer in the United States Army with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Master of Science in Information Technology Management. I have more education than every JMO in my unit and more leadership experience, both in the Army and private sector. Is it fair to say that I can handle a management level position in corporate America?

In the Army, we say "NCOs Lead the Way". I hope corporate America begins to notice how true this is.