Veterans as Inclusive Leaders

This Veterans’ Day, I’d like to share what I’ve long believed: that in most organizations, veterans remain an underutilized resource for advancing cultures of greater equity and inclusion. Broadly speaking, some of the same qualities and characteristics that make a person choose to serve in the military can also be indicators of a strong orientation toward advocacy work for greater justice in the workplace and beyond. Please note that, even though I am a veteran, I don’t speak for all veterans, and my experience, observations, and opinions are my own.

Here are five characteristics that organizations should leverage to ensure that veterans are contributing to the advancement of their DE&I strategy:

An Orientation to Service

Setting aside the politics and justification of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, as difficult as that is to do, the attacks on September 11th, 2001 stirred a nascent patriotism in a young generation who grew up in relative peace and stability through the late 80s and 90s. I believe that an underlying, sometimes subconscious, motivation for all who join the military is a desire to serve their country and fellow citizens. This belief in service to others, in justice, and in sacrifice for the greater good, is a critical component of advocacy work.

Privilege

One of the most common deflections we encounter manifests as a hesitation to engage in honest conversation about privilege. In terms of race and gender, the two aspects of identity we use most often as entry points to DE&I work, conversations around privilege are incredibly personal and deeply historical and as such are critical to advancing more equitable cultures.

All service members are familiar with the prestige and privilege, both warranted and unwarranted, that comes with wearing a uniform. Whether we receive priority boarding on airlines, a plethora of discounts from retailers, profuse expressions of “Thank you for your service” from strangers, or free drinks at a bar, members of the military have experienced privilege directly connected to their service, regardless of their personal experience of advantage or disadvantage when they are not in uniform. This familiarity and shared experience can serve as a jumping-off point for discussing the privilege inherent in gender and race and for inviting others, especially those from communities of advantage, to join a necessary conversation.

Mission, values, and intensity

The singular most important objective in any military unit is to complete the mission and uphold the stated values of each branch of service as important culture-building elements. Coupling these with the intensity that tends to permeate military culture means that veterans can be dogged advocates of an organization’s stated mission and values. More specifically, if channeled properly, that intense energy and commitment to one’s mission that follows veterans out of the service can help them be effective advocates for the organization’s top priorities—including DE&I initiatives.

Social capital and influence

One of the advantages that veterans benefit from, especially in a professional setting, is a degree of deference and respect for their service. The prestige associated with military service can translate to a useful degree of social capital in influencing others—simply said, veterans may get away with more when it comes to holding others accountable for leading inclusively.

Identity

Veterans’ identity as former active-duty members of the military, can be central to the way that they orient themselves in the world. I don’t intend to oversimplify this identity point as it is a highly complicated one, especially where trauma is concerned. However, for white cis men who are sound in mind and body and who are also most likely to be uninformed regarding identity and equity, their veteran status and experience of military culture can be highly instructive. It gives them a more tangible identity point, one that they chose for themselves, to utilize as a point of reference to grow their understanding of why conversations around identity and privilege are so critical to DE&I work.

For these reasons, and many more, I believe that active engagement of the veteran community, through both employee/business resource groups and other means, is critical to increasing the pace at which cultures address the systemic structures and behaviors that inhibit greater equity and access for all.