What the Army Doesn’t Teach You
In 2011 Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, released a book called Thinking, Fast and Slow. In it, Kahneman talked about two ways of thinking (fast and slow) called System 1 and System 2. System 1 is the part of our brain we use for automatic, intuitive, and largely unconscious actions, while System 2 is the center for deliberate, reasoned, and rational decision making. As a former junior officer in the Infantry turned general management business consultant, I found the book highlighted a gap in my Army education – the lack of System 2 thinking. In business, my colleagues and I constantly use System 2 thinking but when I was in the Army, we focused our efforts honing System 1. In transitioning from the Army to business, realizing this difference in thinking early and working to correct the imbalance will pay dividends for transitioning veterans.
The foundation of success at the junior level of the Army is highly developed System 1 thinking. We learn 8 battle drills well enough to perform them under duress, backwards, and in our sleep. The battle drills are essentially trained responses to scenarios likely to be encountered in combat. This is not to say, of course, that soldiers carry out orders without questions. Rather, when a situation like an ambush or a raid arises, a leader knows what to do instinctually, without being aware exactly where this knowledge came from.
In contrast, business thinking relies more on System 2 thinking. When working to develop and launch a new product, enter a new market, or facilitate a response to a competitor business people (usually) have time to sit and think. For example, when Sam Adams decides how to respond to Budweiser Light’s Golden Wheat beer they use a much more deliberative, long term process than a soldier on patrol. Of course, comparing the decision making process of an infantryman to a business executive is apples to oranges, however, a transitioning junior officer or enlisted soldier will be faced with a need to shift their style of thinking.
How to shift? Firstly, be aware of the different System 1 and System 2 styles and understand that your instinctual response, while helpful in combat, may not be the best approach for a business decision. To gain this awareness try reading the aforementioned Thinking, Fast and Slow or Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and think about how you approach problem solving. Next, it may be helpful to read some books on business strategy and problem solving, just to get some idea of how folks in the business area think about problems. A classic in this field is The Minto Pyramid Principle. Last, there are few substitutes for experience. Luckily, the military is great for teaching you how to learn fast.
In general, the skills required in the Army and in business are quite aligned. For each you have to enjoy challenges and problem solving, be goal oriented, and have great communication skills. In business, I have found my Army experience to be an immense help, particularly when it comes to leadership and communicating ideas. Taking a few steps, though, to understand how thinking differs in the military and business worlds will help set you up for continued success after you transition.
