Advance Praise
“The men and women who volunteer for military service and then later return to the private sector are veterans in every sense of the word. They’ve been trained and tested to work as a team to achieve common goals; they develop a personal discipline at an early age; they achieve a maturity beyond their years. As a result, veterans are a national treasure for their willingness to defend their country and fellow citizens, then bring to the private sector a can-do, get ’er done spirit that deserves recognition and reward. This book and the testimonials from some of America’s leading companies affirm the value of the very impressive work of Michael Abrams and Julia Taylor Kennedy. I hope we can all rally around this very important enterprise.”
—Tom Brokaw, former anchor and Managing Editor,
NBC Nightly News; author, The Greatest Generation
“Veterans represent an asset that requires insight to be unlocked to maximum advantage. This well-researched work by Michael Abrams and Julia Taylor Kennedy provides concrete examples that will unleash the talents of your veterans and bring their substantial leadership, management, and decision-making skills to bear on your business. The case studies are exceptionally rich in scope and depth—who wouldn’t step out to implement these best practices and reap the benefits?”
—P. Stephen Stanley, Vice Admiral, US Navy (Retired);
VP Cyber & C4 Government Relations and
VERITAS Executive Sponsor, Northrop Grumman
“On target! This book truly hits the mark and is a crucial resource for companies looking to bring on more veterans while setting them up for organizational success over the long-term. Mike Abrams and Julia Taylor Kennedy focus on real issues…through inspirational stories of success and best practices that employers can put in place to help their veterans thrive in the workplace.”
—Kenneth J. Barrett, Captain, US Navy (Retired);
Chief Diversity Officer, General Motors
“As we’ve seen time and again at GE, valuing veterans increases the diversity of ideas and approaches in the workplace—and can bring us to new heights. Informative reading for anyone working with veterans, this book provides a shortcut to engaging them and ensuring they are able to fully contribute in the workplace.”
—Deborah A. Elam, President, GE Foundation;
Chief Diversity Officer, GE
“UPS has employed veterans for decades, and while bringing them into the workplace is laudable, knowing how to help them reach their potential is far better. In this book, Mr. Abrams and Ms. Taylor Kennedy explain the challenges many vets face when entering the private sector. All organizations would be well-served by paying attention to the needs of this valuable group of future business leaders.”
—Eduardo Martinez, President, The UPS Foundation;
Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, UPS
“Executed perfectly! Mission Critical: Unlocking the Value of Veterans in the Workforce is a must-read for companies who want to begin or improve their commitment to veterans. By sharing the best practices along with personal stories of success and inspiration, Abrams and Kennedy highlight many of the benefits and challenges companies need to consider when hiring, developing, and retaining veteran talent. Mission Critical provides employers with terrific insight on the value veterans can bring to the workplace.”
—Elizabeth Nieto, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, MetLife
“We are learning, with our veterans, how best to support their transition into civilian life and engage them—with meaning and purpose—in the corporate world. But we know there is more to do. This book offers any company that values its veterans practical solutions and novel ideas to tap the skills and ambitions of our high-performance, richly diverse veterans to ensure they have the rewarding careers they deserve.”
—Kevin McCarthy, SEVP, General Counsel, and
VetNet Executive Sponsor, BNY Mellon
This is a Center for Talent Innovation Publication
A Vireo Book | Rare Bird Books
453 South Spring Street, Suite 302
Los Angeles, CA 90013
rarebirdbooks.com
Copyright © 2015 by Center for Talent Innovation
FIRST TRADE PAPERBACK ORIGINAL EDITION
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, including but not limited to print, audio, and electronic. For more information, address: A Vireo Book | Rare Bird Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 453 South Spring Street, Suite 302, Los Angeles, CA 90013.
Set in Minion
Printed in the United States
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ePub ISBN: 978-1-942600-59-6
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Names: Abrams, Michael P., author |Kennedy, Julia Taylor, author.
Title: Mission critical : unlocking the value of veterans in the workforce / Michael Abrams and
Julia Taylor Kennedy.
Description: First trade paperback original edition. | A Vireo Book. | New York [New York] ; Los Angeles [California] : Rare Bird Books, 2015. | Includes index.
Identifiers: ISBN 978-1-942600-54-1
Subjects: LCSH: Veterans—Employment—United States. | Veterans—United States—Services for. | Career changes—United States. | Retired military personnel—Employment—United States. |
BISAC: Business & Economics.
Classification: LCC HF5384 A29 2015 | DDC 650.14/086/97—dc23
To the amazing thought leaders who have been at the heart of this research:
Nancy Di Dia
Lisa Dzintars-Pahwul
Isabelle Frank
Peter Gaytan
Michele Green
Renee Johnson
Frances G. Laserson
Glen Redpath
Sarah St. Clair
Project Team
Project Lead
Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Research
