How to Keep Qualified People

Tim Kane believes that our military is losing its best officers because it just does not know how to manage people. He bases his argument on a survey of West Point graduates he conducted recently. His respondents, which were graduates of West Point going back to 1989, overwhelming stated that half or more of "the best officers leave the military rather than serving a full career." The reason in Kane's view is that the military is a very bureaucratic organization. People are promoted not on merit but simply according to the rules.

For example, Kane cites the example of John Nagl, a leading Army thinker. Nagl, who helped write the new Field Manual, retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving 20 years. He had not made full colonel and he could not make general until he had served 22 years. Kane quotes another leading Army thinker, Paul Yingling, "It is unreasonable to expect that an officer who spends 25 years conforming to institutional expectations will emerge as an innovator in his late forties."

Kane does have a point. However, in my opinion he has too much faith in the management of our "leading" companies, such as Citicorp. He seems to believe that management of many of these companies is, in fact, really qualified and capable. Recent events have not proved him right.