The Entrepreneurial Spirit

The Services have plenty of individuals with flair, imagination and get-up-and-go when it comes to operations and training. The difficulty is usually to stop people from going too far rather than having to kick them into action. Battles are won by, and individuals honoured for, acts of heroism that might, in other circumstances, have led to a spell in prison or a psychiatric hospital.

Even on non-operational duties, the same qualities of physical and mental courage, the can-do attitude, the determination never to be beaten, come to the fore. Getting a ship ready for sea in an emergency, organising a brigade for fire-fighting, or mounting an air-sea rescue may call for the rules to be stretched and for such niceties as leave entitlement or a non-essential course to be abandoned.

By contrast, the civilian world can seem plodding and filled with ‘jobsworths’ who are surrounded by a web of petty regulations and are incapable of action without a severe prod from behind. Every so often the cry goes up that: ‘The Armed Forces ought to run the trains – then they’d be on time’, and senior rail industry figures wince at the thought of senior officers trying to deal with the unions.

But these are the same Armed Forces that take 30 years to buy a new tank, which can be out of date by the time it enters Service. They are criticised every year by the Audit Commission over waste. There is a great deal of bureaucracy in the Services, and the system of expenses, travel and subsistence seems extremely ponderous to administer.

The dull civilian world produces Branson, Sugar, Leahy and Green – entrepreneurs all, and some in piratical style. From billionaire hedge fund managers to small shopkeepers, civilians take financial risks every day that would bring Service people sleepless nights. So, we should forget the stereotypes of battle-winning hero and boring clerk; or, from the other direction, blindly obedient cannon-fodder and dynamic executive.

Few people are near these extremes, and most are as competent in or out of uniform, as any study of conscripts in war or the volunteer forces during peacetime will demonstrate. However, people tend to be more comfortable in familiar cultures and environments. So the civilian might find it hard to accept that life might be ended by a bullet, while the Service person could be unwilling to risk their house to start a business.

There are some areas, like employment, in which civilians are often more capable and have more experience than their Service equivalents. With few exceptions commanders do not have the right to hire and fire, they do not determine wages and they can even have little say in promotion. Generally speaking, these issues are dealt with centrally. Conversely, civilian managers can be responsible for all these areas and their consequences.

Similarly, a civilian project manager – and they also make mistakes, as shown in the ten-fold overspend on the Scottish Parliament building – is likely to have more control over the workforce, with the freedom to make decisions about who, how many and what skills are required from day to day. Lay-offs and recruitment may be at short notice, short term and even brutal, as people try to get the job done with the minimum resources.

Competition and market reactivity demand fast decision-making and action, just like military operations. Their battles may be fought with finance rather than ammunition but they are real nevertheless. There are casualties and ‘collateral damage’, winners and losers. So, have some respect for the survivors in what can be a ruthless business and make sure that you are ready for ‘civilian warfare’.

For November, we look at some very popular career choices. Close protection, and the Prison and Probation Services are fields with a clear read-across from Service experience and skills, although formal qualifications in both areas are now either necessary for employment or for advancement. In the world of transport, we cover options in the rail industry, and road transport and driving qualifications – that ‘Q’ word again, without which few people will achieve their full potential. A feature on distance learning explains one increasingly popular way of gaining them.

There are enormous ranges of jobs available in both the motor industry, with its various aspects and spin-offs, and in health and safety. Strangely, few Service people seem to realise just how employable they are in the latter, and how many opportunities are available. Like many other careers, including the Services, core activities are surrounded and supported by a vast network of ancillary ones.

A look at south-west England will be of interest to anyone thinking about living and working there, and the brief article on choosing resettlement training should spark some thoughts about using the facilities that are available. Finally, we present a digest of the 8th Resettlement Report, which makes it clear to the expert and the consumer that military resettlement is a service that has few, if any, equals and one that is producing excellent results.