3 things IT leaders can learn from the military

Hiring delays and layoffs have swept the tech industry in recent months. This is in response to inflation, events on Twitter and Meta, and the prospect of a prolonged recession.

The current economic uncertainty is unusual confusing. In total, 80% of employees say they are afraid of them job guarantee should there be a recession.

Being an IT leader today means being involved in hard battles in the workplace. Whether there will be a recession and how deep it will grow remains to be seen. However, the C-Suite must keep the muscles exercised and start leading like the military to win a world war for talent retention, increase employee engagement and company resilience.

This is also half the reason why we need wargame drills. That’s when we suddenly or arbitrarily increase quotas or cause spikes in activity, to “stress” the system.

So what can you learn from the military to become successful in people management in times of uncertainty?

Respond quickly to emerging threats

Before the Russian invasion, my company faced a dilemma: work with local markets or enter global markets. The local market is much smaller but noticeably more affordable. The global one is very attractive, but the barrier to entry is much higher.

When the war started, I understood that we no longer had such a dilemma. In turn, our competitors, who have decided not to expand into new markets and wait for a better time, are forced to react to the current circumstances amid budgetary and staffing cuts.

To stay on board, you need to find the right way to respond quickly to emerging threats.

First of all, no one is bigger than the team. Involve the team in the decision-making process. Leaders are not isolated. Especially in IT, even quiet times require a quick response, but before you make a decision, make sure you have a team with which to take on a new battle. When generals decide to start a battle, they first pass this information on to their soldiers.

Second, take the time to evaluate the situation. In the military, before reacting, they take 15 to 20 seconds to assess the impact of their next move. Stay calm, but move purposefully. Acting calmly and appearing sane will keep those around you stable. Work quickly but confidently to get things done, and they will. To make sure everyone is on the same page, you need to have a clear mission that everyone understands. Don’t try to do everything in one day. Break things up into pieces and focus on one piece at a time. Stick to the facts.

Third, never put the company on hold, even if the situation is dire. If you understand that something needs to be changed, start doing it right away so that you at least have time to load the gun. If you don’t move a needle, someone will. Consider that a total surrender.

Invest in the mental health of you and your employees

Moreover, IT is not a military organization. Still, leaders must ensure their safety and mental stability in order to think soberly at the corporate level. Fortunately, crises are rare, but that also means that people often need more knowledge to deal with the masses of unusual information that bombard them in such situations.

You can compare it to an emergency in the air: a parent first puts on a mask for himself and then for his children. Here’s the same: Find time for self-reflection. Think about a big mission that the company and you personally have, or consult a psychologist who will help you deal more effectively with work and personal problems.

“As a Marine Corps fighter pilot, I learned that by taking care of your people, they can also take care of their jobs. No one goes it alone in the military, and the same goes for business. Teamwork builds successful companies.” —Ted Fienning (U.S. Marine Corps), co-founder of Babies.

To maintain the mental health of the team in turbulent times, you must share the lifestyle of your troops and establish communication with each employee. People who are ignorant of a company’s plans create a vacuum full of rumors or distorted news. Develop an anti-crisis plan and communicate it to the team so they can see that the company has a plan for their future. Organize meetings with top executives, where they share news about the company’s activities with employees and extensive first-hand information about the current situation in the company.

Lack of stress is stressful for many. Keep the muscle exercised. This is half the reason we need wargame drills. This is why we suddenly or arbitrarily raise quotas or initiate spikes in activity to “stress” the system.

Educate people by providing special training with the help of experts. Training to manage stress, anxiety and personal finances will help your employees build the necessary knowledge and respond to challenging situations.

Make operational flexibility a top priority

Rotation is prevalent in the military and applies in business as well. It is perhaps one of the best solutions in a time of turbulence.

According to William G. Bliss, president of Bliss and Associates Increplacing an employee who earns $50,000 a year costs the company $75,000 in operational and indirect costs.

To save jobs and fix layoffs, the company may change scheduling conditions, approach to team building, and the team’s interaction with management. For example, if a talented employee does not have suitable duties in their current position, rotate them to other roles within the team or even departments. Employees can even be redistributed between companies if a group of companies/holdings exists.

Organizational flexibility should be a top priority as it needs to be clarified whether companies need to change business models, add new skills, or do both.

Upskilling and retraining is a key word. You can always fire people, but are you sure you don’t need to ask them to come back? The best option is to offer them to upskill or upskill their knowledge to meet the needs of the company in turbulent times. To do so, invest in AI or other technical solutions to automate routine tasks to free up the team’s energy to perform more complex and mentally demanding assignments.

Living in today’s world teaches us to learn something new and to be courageous and resilient. It also requires us to be good people and to care about others.

Your team is your base – don’t be a pickpocket who fires everyone when the going gets tough. Layoffs are not a way out of the situation. Sooner or later you will have to hire new people and spend a lot of time and money on them.

Vladimir Polo is CEO and founder of AcademyOcean.