Are there traits or experiences you think give veterans an advantage in life over those without service experience?

Work Discipline is a big one for me. It doesn't take too many pushups or having to change uniforms and report every few hours to get it into your head that you need to be on time and in the right gear, prepared for the mission.

Today I am nearly never late, always prepared, and well planned ahead.

I think this is a great question and some well thought out answers. I think it boils down to a few simple traits (skills) that most veterans develop that all companies I have been engaged with want as part of their leadership team:

1. Natural leaders who can translate into Management Leadership
2. Understand the value of linking accountability, responsibility, and authority to successful outcomes
3. Self starters - most can be dropped into any situation, assess, evaluate, decide, action
4. Look inward first when things start to go the wrong direction - we avoid the blame game and move to the aim frame
5. But most of all, none of us think we can do it on our own, it is all about being a team.

Well, that has been my experience and when performing business management consulting services, these were often the top topics CEOs wanted to discuss about their employees.

Self discipline and persistence.

Better self discipline, leadership and follower abilities. People oriented. Mission oriented.

Absolutely, I have to deal with things civilians have no understanding of. They are very basic skills that military personnel have instilled in them.

Right place, right time. I can't tell you the people (including my wife) that think a set time is a suggestion. I have meet 100s of people that think 5 mins late...is on time.

Discipline, doing a job to the best of you ability and finishing it no matter what. I have people that could care less about what they are doing at work. They actually cost money because I have to pay them and then somebody to fix their mistakes.

The list goes on and on. The facts are the youth of today are entitled. They have never been hungry, they have never had to suck it up and sleep on the ground, they have never been forced to work to accomplish a goal, and they have never been lead by a leader.

At my college, just outside of Fort Bragg, NC, we get lots of inquiries from companies looking for not only employees, but for new members for their profession with a career to offer. Major Fortune 50 companies come to us looking for military members who are transitioning who would be interested in joining their companies. They want the military for their discipline and their "soft" skills. Major corporations likes CVS, Ingalls Shipbuilding and others want these folks because they feel they can teach them the technical skills - but teaching soft skills is much more difficult. Most military members have these skills - some more than others. As they say - you hire for the technical skills and you fire for the lack of soft skills! Thanks - Dave

Discipline & responsibility are two of the traits the military instilled in me. It also instilled one more very important value...ya don't work, ya don't eat!

Honesty, and integrity.

I'm going to say maturity and willingness to get the job done no matter the cost. I must say for the "most" part of our traits, not all.

For people who separate at a younger age the experience and the way it forces you to mature really put them a step up against those who went to college or have minor experience in the field. The formal training is a real plus.