Personnel Mobilization Doctrine

Joanna Bradley, IT Sales & Marketing Recruitment Manager

By Joanna Bradley, IT Sales & Marketing Recruitment Manager

The term “Recruiting” originally meant “to enlist new soldiers”. Every army needs to replenish troops over time, and at certain times they need to grow their numbers to accomplish specific operations.

Militaries, to facilitate this process, have established recruiting commands. These units are solely responsible for increasing military enlistment. The mission of the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) is to recruit candidates for service. This process includes the recruiting, medical and psychological examination, induction, and administrative processing of potential service personnel.

The Command is guided in its operations by the United States Mobilization Doctrine, the four tenets of this doctrine are: 1. Objective, 2. Unity of Effort, 3. Flexibility, 4. Timeliness.

In terms of winning the war for talent, companies working in coordination with their recruiters, would do well to take these mobilization doctrine tenets to heart. Let’s redefine these in terms of recruiting today in the technology sectors (Clean Tech and High Tech alike).

1.       Objective.

Clearly defining the hiring objective (What is the job description and what are the expectations for the new SaaS Sales Executive or Senior Solar Mechanical Design Engineer?) Assuring that the expectations are attainable (Has everyone signed off on the hire at this time? Is the slated salary competitive?) Establishing decisive objectives (What does the process look like? What is the timeline associated?)

2.       Unity of Effort.

This is a joint operation. Integrated effort is required to achieve the common objective (New hire). The hiring manager must coordinate with team members, with the chain of command above and below, with H.R., and with the recruiter. Everyone’s efforts must be aligned to ensure that the time necessary for mobilization actions is clearly understood, and the resulting impacts clearly identified (Opportunity costs if the hiring process lags. Costly consequences if the hire is not successful. Bottom line when the right talent is brought on expediently.)

3.       Flexibility.

All pieces of the process (New business opportunities, A crisis on the production line, Change of flight schedule), so it is important to have a game plan and a backup plan. If there is a change in personnel lineup (The co-interviewer goes on sick leave), how does the ball get moved forward? If the process goes off track (Your first choice candidate accepts another offer), what is the next step to regroup such that progress is not stunted by the frictions of the talent war? If there are unexpected opportunities that arise (Your recruiter convinces a key competitor’s top talent to come onboard), how does the team adapt the process to take advantage of these?

Timeliness is essential to achieving overwhelming force on the battlefield at the right time and place and requires the coordination of resources, personnel and information in order to   react faster than the enemy.

4.       Timeliness.

In order to “achieve overwhelming force at the right time and place” (Building the right team to launch the new product, Creating the next generation Solar Panel technology, Responding to market opportunities), timely coordination of resources, personnel and information is essential. It is the only way to act/react faster and better than the competition. As I like to remind folks, the saying “time kills all deals” applies to hiring as well as sales.

To win the war for talent, you must have a Mobilization Doctrine. To optimize your strategic growth and hiring plan, contact Redfish Technology today. We will partner with you to accomplish your Personnel Mobilization Doctrine.

Reference:

(Joint Pub 4-05) Joint Doctrine for Mobilization Planning

For those of you interested, here is the original USAREC Mobilization Doctrine, as published in the (Joint Pub 4-05) Joint Doctrine for Mobilization Planning.

1.       Objective includes the clearly defined, attainable, and decisive objectives that are imperative to joint operations. Operational and mobilization planners must coordinate their efforts to ensure that the time necessary for mobilization actions is clearly understood, and the resulting impacts clearly identified.

2.       Unity of effort demands the integrated efforts of the nation’s military and national sectors toward achievement of common objectives established by the President.

3.       Flexibility is necessary to develop an appropriate response in a crisis, overcome unforeseen problems, adapt to uncertainties, and adjust to the friction of war.

4.       Timeliness is essential to achieving overwhelming force on the battlefield at the right time and place and requires the coordination of resources, personnel and information in order to react faster than the enemy.

Expert Author:

Joanna Bradley,
IT Sales & Marketing Recruitment Manager

Joanna Bradley leads the Technology Sales & Marketing team. Her passion for high tech and fast-paced, demanding sales & marketing roles drives her find the brightest stars in the sector. Joanna is motivated and perseverant, and highly regarded by her peers, candidates and clients.