Is there a question on your HR application that says, "Can you rescue fellow employees from imminent danger while you are injured?"
What about, "How quickly can you assess a volatile situation, devise a plan and implement it?"
While these questions are never asked during an interview, they get at core leadership characteristics.
And it so happens that there are many potential employees who embody these traits: veterans.
You have only to look to the recent example of August 21 when two veterans, U.S. Air Force Airman Spencer Stone and Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, tackled an armed, would-be terrorist on a train in France. Skarlatos heard the sound of a magazine being jammed or changed out and immediately alerted Stone and his friend Anthony Sadler to the danger. They sprang to action to subdue the gunman, and although Stone was bleeding from both his neck and thumb, he immediately attended to another wounded passenger.
When I heard of these heroic acts and learned that two veterans were involved, I wasn't surprised. We all understand the dedication, training and character of the men and women in our branches of the military.
And they have proven their abilities many times over.
Read the full article “Want Employees with Courage, Agility and Ability? Hire Veterans” on MH&L, an Industry Week companion site within Penton's Design and Manufacturing Group.