ResourcePro CEO, Dan Epstein was a recent guest on Nation First Radio’s show, “Everyday Valor,” co-hosted by Kristin Beck and Maureen Brody. Everyday Valor serves a network of military listeners and features normal people doing extraordinary things. In the April 10th radio segment, “Military Guys Go CEO,” Maureen interviews Dan, who served in the Israeli Defense Force and parlayed his military experience into running a successful business. During the segment, Dan talks about the importance of the skills one learns in the military for application in business and in life.
In particular Dan talks about the importance of the processes that lie behind all activities whether in the military or business and how they need to align to a focused and coherent strategy.
According to Dan, a strategy involves three critical elements:
- A Clearly Defined Mission: What do you want to be the best at in your field?
- Critical success factors: What are the things you have to do “outstandingly” to fulfill your mission? For example what domain expertise, capabilities, skills, technology, and culture you need to develop.
- Vision: If you fulfill your mission consistently for several years, what will your company look like?
To facilitate your strategy, you need people passionate about the mission. In fact, Dan identifies passion as a critical attribute for new hires. He also stresses the need to clearly define the right roles and responsibilities supported by clear job descriptions that cascade back up to the strategy.
Finally Dan shares some examples of people who have made the transition successfully from the military into business leadership roles.