Leadership lessons from a famed battlefield
The rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania are a distant setting from the streets of London, New York and Pune, but for a select group of BNY leaders, this bucolic setting served as an outdoor classroom. A cohort of leaders from across the company visited Gettysburg National Military Park where they learned about the challenges that leaders faced during one of the United States’ most historic battles. During the three-day Strategic Leader Staff Ride, participants, all senior leaders from across BNY, accompanied by veterans from the BNY Veterans Network (VETNET) explored leadership topics related to strategic decision making and the resulting consequences of those decisions.
The leadership and professional development workshop for high-performing leaders is an investment in the professional growth and promotion-readiness of the talent we most want to retain and advance. Modelled after a common practice in army leadership colleges, the annual event uses the battlefield as a classroom to impart the lessons of strategic successes and failures from history and challenge participants’ thinking. During the event, participants wrestle with questions about leadership, time-sensitive decision making, resource deployment, change management, efficient communications, and more. As they tour various locations at the battlefield, they are asked to view historic events, as well as their current leader role, from differing perspectives in order think differently about their ability to make an impact right in the present and into the future. Applying lessons and experiences from military leadership in a business context is a key pillar of the VETNET strategy and the Staff Ride is the keystone annual event for this pillar.
In addition to networking with other top performers across BNY, participants engaged with high-ranking officers during classroom time at the U.S. Army War College.
To extend the learnings, staff ride participants hosted a follow-up webinar open to all BNY employees. Moderated by a BNY Director in Engineering, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, panelists in the global discussion shared their experiences as well as the leadership lessons they took away from the visit.
— Chris Lape, Master Sergeant in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and Relationship Manager in Treasury Service
BNY has a rich tradition of hiring military veterans, and celebrating their service in all the markets we serve globally, from the U.S to India, the U.K. and beyond. For example, our company values are not too different from the three core values of many military forces: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.
As Chris Lape, a Master Sergeant in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, and Relationship Manager in Treasury Service stated, “I always say veterans make strong employees. From high-stress situations to collaborations across large teams, the skills and experiences I learned in the military can directly translate to the business world at BNY.”
The Staff Ride also serves another pillar of the VETNET strategy, Veteran Advocacy, by demonstrating the transferable skills which veterans can bring to the commercial world through their previous experiences.
The Staff Ride is sponsored by VETNET, our employee resource group. VETNET serves as a resource, advocate and network for BNY’s veterans, military spouses, family members and their colleagues. VETNET members are active in recruitment, sponsorship, mentorship and career development of veteran employees, internal recognition of the value of military service and external support for veterans.