2006年NPR美国国家公共电台七月-Military Chiefs Find Second Careers as CE

A new study of the Standard & Poor's 500 shows that military experience may actually be the best training to become a corporate 1 CEO. The executive search firm Korn/Ferry International and the Intelligence Unit of the Economist 2 Magazine found that former military officers are more likely to become CEOs in top companies than those who didn't serve in the military and they are more likely to succeed in the job. Chuck Wardell is a managing director of Korn/Ferry International, he joins us from NPR's New York Bureau, "Thanks very much for being with us, Mr. Wardell."

"Well,it's my pleasure, thank you for having me. "

"And I have to begin by asking if you served in the military. "

"Yes, I did. I m a Vietnam-era soldier. I was an officer and served and fought in Vietnam."

"What do you learn in the military that becomes directly applicable in corporate life? "

"Well, particularly at the company grade levels, lieutenant 3 and up to captain, you learn organizational skills and you learn teamwork and you have to be a good communicator, and you have to stay calm. "

"To serve in the U.S. Military, especially, does it require people to figure out a way to get along as an effective working unit, if not necessarily personal friends? "

"You know, absolutely. It's an interesting statistic 4 if you look at all adult males, only 3% were officers in the U.S. Military and yet if you look at the CEOs in the S&P 500, 8.4% had military experience. So, A), there is a higher level of percentage of CEOs and it does require skills that, unfortunately, not all that many American males get. "

"What's performing well? How do you define success? "

"The study found that 59 companies on the S&P 500 headed by CEOs of military experience provide an average shareholder 5 return of 21% over a 3-year-period ending in September 05', versus 6 11% for the S&P index during the same time. Er, we also found that CEOs who've served in the military tend to survive longer on the job. I think probably because of their market-beating performance. So, you look at a company return on investment, turnover 7 in personnel, the morale 8 of the company , the culture that's been built, its ability to absorb new products, ability to bring in new people and new ideas and keep reinventing itself. A lot of these traits are learned in the military. "

"As I understand , there's a caveat 9 in this report that says that people are more likely to succeed in a corporate career if they leave the military as Lieutenants 10 or Captains rather than if they rise to a higher rank."

"The training that the CEOs talk about and the skills they bring in the corporate life are generally those learned in the early years in the military. After captain, you get away from the company grade demands in the military, and you get more into the politics of the military, more into getting promoted within the military. But the first three ranks in the military are company grade, ranks which require many of the skills CEOs fall back on when they run the companies. "

"Does a military background offer someone in corporate life an avenue to learn how to effectively question authority or policy? "

"No, but it teaches you the cost of impulsively 11 trying to comply. And so the ability to stay calm, to think it through, to know you're gonna do it but to question the best way to get there are things that you learn early on in the military."

"Is it difficult for people who've been military officers and perhaps have seen combat to go into making chairs or software, or something like that? "

"The answer is yes. It's a very tough transition. And it's one that you have to come to grips with early on when you leave the military. It's a lifestyle and a culture that's very hard to then readjust to the corporate world. Many do it successfully and quite honestly many don't. "

"Chuck Wardell, managing director and head of the northeast region of Korn/Ferry International. Mr. Wardell, thank you very much."

"Thank you."

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Standard & Poor's 500 :Standard & Poor's 500 Utilities Index,An index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity 12, and industry group representation. It is a market-value weighted index, with each stock's weight in the index proportionate to its market value;标准普尔500公用事业指数,各种股票包括四百种工业股、四十种公用事业股、二十种交通事业股、以及四十种银行股和保险股。它是一个包含500种股票的指数，股票的选择根据市场规模、流通性及行业组别代表性。这是一个按市场价值比重调整的指数，每种股票在指数的比重与其市场价值成正比
caveat:a warning that something may not be completely true, effective etc;警告,告诫
fall back on :to use something or depend on someone's help when dealing with a difficult situation, especially after other methods have failed;求助于, 退到, 回头再说
impulsively:someone who is impulsive does things without considering the possible dangers or problems first; 有推动力地
come(get) to grips with:to understand or deal with something difficult ;开始搏斗(与某种困难情况)