Does military leadership cross over into civilian life? Mike Levy discovers there's more to military leadership training than command and control, and much that businesses can learn about communication and team roles.

The military are very good at leading people in ever-changing situations where the cost of failure can be in terms of human life. The question is, how effective are ex-military people at leading in today's heady business environments. There are many generic leadership skills says Tom Blower, project director for the partnership between The Inspirational Development Group (IDG) and The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Blower, a former education and training officer with the British Army, says that there are clearly defined principles common to both military and civilian life.

"Both need clear direction, focus and the ability to identify organisational goals. Military leaders do offer a unique skill set, especially their ability to understand soft skills and communicate effectively," says Blower. He does recognise, however, that military folk often struggle with their lack of commercial experience and awareness.

"There are many businesses who also misconceive that military leadership is only about command and control," says Blower. "But the army is very good at helping people define roles and relationships within the team. They are also adept at communicating in a clear and routine way. The army knows how to operate with the prospect of failure and keep leading even when things go seriously wrong, such as losing your communications, comrades or even your commander." Blower clearly believes that in this current period of uncertainty a dose of army leadership will not go amiss.

Not everyone is so sure about this. John Atkinson is director of operations with the Leadership Centre which trains senior leaders of local authorities. Atkinson is a former army officer who trained commandos in Snowdonia. "I am critical of some former army officers who come to train in civilian organisations and assume that what works in the military can be transferred to civilian business. They forget that military techniques are embedded over many centuries. You need to understand why army leadership training works before it can transfer to an organisation with a very different culture. It is important to understand what is transferable and what is not."

What are the most transferable skills then? Atkinson focuses on three things: identity, relationship building and the flow of communication. The military is very good at helping the team know who they are and what they stand for. They are also excellent, says Atkinson, at sharing a vast amount of data and information. He believes that drills and routine can help civilian business. "Introducing simple drills to key areas such as project planning and production organisation can be very useful," he says, though he does not recommend marching bands or square bashing.

Atkinson's criticisms of the military's lack of business savvy is being addressed in two key ways. Since January 2008, military personnel going through the UK Defence Academy can gain nationally recognised management qualifications through a recent partnership with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

The alliance means that students on the Advanced Command Staff Course (ACSC) achieve recognition for management and leadership skills through qualifications accepted by civilian and military employers. According to Jo Causon, the CMI’s director of marketing and corporate affairs: "Many of the skills they will develop are generic and need to be applied in context". She believes that the key skills of what make a great leader are the same whether it is for battlefield or business: "The ability to communicate, listen, motivate your team". The CMI is currently piloting a Territorial Army (TA) leadership course bringing together the TA and 12 of the FTSE 100 top companies. "It is a recognition of the strong military leadership that can be transferred to the business world," says Causon.

Manchester Business School (MBS) also offers a short course for military leaders looking for new directions in the civilian world. According to Tudor Rickards, the MBS professor of creativity and organisational change: "We get all the services on the course and our role is to give them reassurance that their skills are indeed transferable. They have far more competencies than they believe but many senior military personnel find it hard to settle into routine business roles. They are often better at leading in niche areas such as the voluntary sector, running charities or museums". He gives examples of former military men Tom Mullarkey who now leads RoSPA and John Peters the ex-Iraq prisoner of war who is now a high profile leadership trainer.

Another former student is Admiral Lord Boyce*. He has strong views about military leadership and civilian life: "In military life, you are trained to lead, and how to be led, until the principles become ingrained. I mean training, not education. You train for leadership, as you would train for a marathon".

What of similarities? Lord Boyce is clear: "There are general core components of leadership. Two of them concern decision-making and communications. Good decision-making requires skills such as assimilating information and applying analytic ability. These skills often have to be combined with decisiveness. Effective communicators have to demonstrate clearly and convincingly the logic of their approach. I must also mention strength of character, the ability to delegate and show initiative".

In these troubled economic times, perhaps the military then, will come to our rescue.

*quoted by professor Rickard in his blog: 'Leaders we deserve'.

Mike Levy is a freelance journalist and copywriter with 20 years' experience. He is also a writing and presentations coach. He especially loves playwriting and creating resources for schools. Mike is director of Write Start Ltd. For more information go to: www.writestart.co.uk