Ducks in a Row: Hiring Assumptions
by Miki Saxon
Research by two economists at Kellogg Turned up an interesting insight.
“…CEOs with a military background are much less likely to engage in corporate fraud compared to their civilian-only peers—up to 70% less likely, in fact.”
The problem, to my way of thinking, is that those studied came from a different military culture than the current one.
“…biographical data on chief executives from the 800 largest US firms each year from 1980 and 1991 and from approximately 1500 publicly traded US firms from 1992 to 2006.
The current military is a bit different than the one they were a part of; you might even say it’s not your father’s military any more, let alone your grandfather’s.
The Air Force cheating and drug scandals come at a time when a large number of senior officers in other branches of the military have been investigated, penalized or fired in connection with allegations of sexual improprieties, sexual violence, financial mismanagement or poor judgment.
None of this means you should avoid hiring ex-military, since cheating is just as, if not more, prevalent in the civilian population.
What it means is that you should interview everyone, at every level, carefully and not make assumptions based on generalizations or previous positions.
Flickr image credit: Mike Baird
