{"id":698,"date":"2025-05-19T14:56:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/philadelphia-pa-1200\/?p=698"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:56:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:56:58","slug":"training-and-aptitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/philadelphia-pa-1200\/blog\/training-and-aptitude\/","title":{"rendered":"How a 21-Year-Old Ended Up in Charge of a $100 Million Jet"},"content":{"rendered":"

A friend of mine has a son who joined the Marines. Growing up, this young man didn\u2019t show a particularly strong interest in technology, engineering, or mechanics. I mean, he wasn\u2019t the kid in the garage taking apart lawnmowers, building robots, or programming computers. I knew he was bright, but in a general way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward a couple of years, and now he\u2019s an aircraft mechanic, working on the F-35, one of the most advanced and expensive fighter jets in existence. He\u2019s a legitimate expert<\/strong> in this, even though he\u2019s only 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest, that blew me away.<\/span><\/p>\n

As someone who runs an IT services company, I spend a lot of time thinking about how people learn on the job, especially in a field that changes as fast as ours does. So, this Marine\u2019s story made me stop and think.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does someone go from \u201cno particular mechanical passion\u201d to \u201ctrusted with a $100 million warplane\u201d in such a short time?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer, it turns out, is training<\/strong>. Real, serious, focused training. And it got me thinking about how in business, we approach training and talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

What the Military Gets Right (In My View)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m not an expert on military systems, but from what I\u2019ve learned, the military seems to take a completely different approach than most companies. When they decide to train someone, they go all in.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Time:<\/strong> They invest months (and sometimes a full year) before someone is considered fully trained.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Structure:<\/strong> There\u2019s a formal, layered system: classroom work, simulations, hands-on work, and constant assessments.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Focus:<\/strong> Trainees aren\u2019t juggling other responsibilities. Their job is to train and learn until they\u2019re ready.<\/span><\/p>\n

To me, that\u2019s a big contrast with the way training happens in most workplaces. We\u2019re more likely to hand someone a user manual, give them a login, point them to a webinar or video, and hope for the best<\/strong>. (I\u2019ve done it, and I\u2019m sure you have, too.)<\/span><\/p>\n

There are exceptions, of course. Commercial pilots, EMTs, and surgical teams go through rigorous training programs. But those are the outliers, not the norm.<\/span><\/p>\n

What stood out to me about the military story wasn\u2019t just the training itself. It was how the Marines decided who to train.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Marines Test for Potential, Not Just Past Experience<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

One thing the military seems to do especially well is aptitude testing<\/strong>. They don\u2019t just go by someone\u2019s background. Indeed, they assume you probably don\u2019t<\/em> have the background to work on fighter jets or handle communications encryption in battlefield conditions. (Right?) So, they prioritize figuring out what you could<\/em> be good at.<\/span><\/p>\n

They use tools like the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) to uncover natural strengths, such as mechanical reasoning, spatial awareness, electronics, and that sort of thing. Then they match people to training programs that fit those strengths.<\/span><\/p>\n

That feels like the opposite of what many businesses (including mine) tend to do. We try to match people to roles based on their resumes. And once someone\u2019s in a role, we rarely step back and ask, \u201cWhat else might they be great at?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It made me wonder: What would happen if we tested for aptitude after<\/em> someone joined the company?<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not something I\u2019ve done systematically. But over the past year, I\u2019ve had several occasions where I stumbled onto someone\u2019s hidden strength or interest, and it made me realize how much any of us can miss simply because we never asked the right questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

(For what it\u2019s worth, aptitude testing in the workplace is legal, provided it\u2019s job-related and fairly administered. There are tools out there, such as CliftonStrengths<\/a>, that offer insight into people\u2019s natural problem-solving styles or preferences.)<\/span><\/p>\n

When Someone\u2019s Not Thriving\u2026 Maybe the Role\u2019s Wrong<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s where this really hit home for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, I\u2019ve had employees who didn\u2019t seem to thrive in their roles. At the time, I assumed it was a performance issue. And sometimes, it was.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in other cases, it turned out to be something else entirely: the role just didn\u2019t match the person\u2019s natural wiring\u2026 the project manager who did better as a salesperson; the customer service agent who did better in an administrative role, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve come to believe that when someone isn\u2019t doing well, it\u2019s worth asking whether the issue is truly performance, or if it\u2019s just a mismatch between the role and their strengths. That\u2019s not always an easy distinction to make, but when we get it right, the payoff can be huge for the person and the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

What This Means for Me\u2026 and Maybe You?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Like a lot of business owners, I\u2019ve been guilty of assuming that smart people will figure things out on their own, or that \u201clearning by doing\u201d is enough. So I haven\u2019t always been great about training.<\/span><\/p>\n

But lately, I\u2019ve been doing more, and that might be why seeing how military training has helped my friend\u2019s son has made such a big impression on me. Of course, owners of small and medium-sized businesses can\u2019t replicate the military model in civilian life. We don\u2019t have the same budget, structure, or authority over people\u2019s schedules. But we can learn from their priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, that means being more deliberate about:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Noticing people\u2019s natural strengths<\/strong> (not just what\u2019s listed on their resume)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Asking better questions<\/strong> about what someone wants to learn<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Offering small, targeted ways to grow<\/strong>, even if we can\u2019t launch a formal training program<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here are a few things I\u2019m thinking about as next steps, especially for small or mid-sized businesses like mine:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Low-stakes learning moments<\/strong>: Things like creating short, recorded how-tos, internal lunch-and-learns, simple things like adding more links to our documentation so (for instance) a manufacturer\u2019s demo or YouTube video that explains something perfectly is easy for our people to find.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Encourage external learning<\/strong>: I\u2019ve covered the cost of a couple of in-depth training seminars lately in marketing and its technical back end, and members of my team are growing their responsibilities as a result.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Revisit job fits periodically<\/strong>: Not just during reviews, but when someone seems disengaged or stuck or unfulfilled, I\u2019ve started to ask \u201cIs there something else you\u2019d like to try in these areas we want to do more?\u201d It has opened up useful conversations and helped add more to the career paths of our people.<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. One thing I haven\u2019t resolved<\/strong>: This kind of specialized training is individualized, so some of my people are getting more attention at the moment than others \u2013 although who is getting training and development will always be changing. I don\u2019t want any of my team to feel less valued or less important just because it isn\u2019t their turn at the moment. I\u2019m still working on that (because, unlike the Marines, we don\u2019t have a fleet of Drill Instructors wearing their iconic Smokey Bear hats. The \u201ctraining manager\u201d hat is one of many I still wear.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

      The Marines didn\u2019t just \u201cget lucky\u201d with my friend\u2019s 21-year-old son.<\/span>
      \nThey tested, trained, and trusted him.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

      That made me wonder what I might unlock in my company \u2013 what we all might unlock in our respective companies \u2013 by doing even a little bit of the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

      We can\u2019t all run boot camps, but we can<\/em> take training more seriously and talent more flexibly.<\/span><\/p>\n

      – We don\u2019t have to control the clock or command the person like the military does.<\/span><\/p>\n

      – <\/span>We just have to believe the person in front of us might be capable of a lot more than their current role suggests. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

      – And then give them the tools and direction to explore it.<\/span><\/p>\n

      So, that\u2019s what I\u2019ve taken away from learning about a young F-35 expert I used to see as just one of the kids in the neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

      – It\u2019s not entirely about the uniforms or the drills.<\/span><\/p>\n

      – It\u2019s that potential can be as significant as experience<\/strong>, and it gets unlocked by training.<\/span><\/p>\n

      – And once that potential is developed, it can change everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Pictured: The F-35 Lightning II aircraft, refueling in midair. Photo courtesy of the US Department of Defense. Photo credit: Air Force Senior Airman Ryan C. Grossklag.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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