Veterans Participating in the Military-to-Civilian Leadership Program Demonstrate High Learning Agility, According to Korn Ferry Survey

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

As applications are being accepted to participate in the fourth cohort of the Leveraging Military Leadership Program (LMLP), a new analysis by Korn Ferry shows that veterans who have been through the program are more learning agile than non-veterans who had taken similar agility assessments.

The LMLP program is hosted by Exelis Action Corps, the volunteer service program for aerospace and defense company Exelis XLS; and Korn Ferry KFY; a single source of leadership and talent consulting services.

Nearly 115 recent veterans or those about to leave the military have already gone through this pro bono program, which helps new veterans apply their leadership experience to civilian positions. As part of the program, participants took part in Korn Ferry's viaEDGE® agility assessment. The test measures overall learning agility as well as five specific agility areas, including mental, people, change, and results agility, as well as self-awareness. The exercise showed that two-thirds of participants are more learning agile than the civilians – many of whom are high-potential talent – who had taken part in the same assessment.

“The highest agility factor for this group is results agility, suggesting these individuals are skilled in executing strategy and getting the job done,” said Korn Ferry Senior Partner Noah Rabinowitz. “They also ranked higher in self-awareness. Due to their military training, this group of individuals may be readily open to direct and candid feedback; and are more inclined to take action on that feedback.”

“This cohort's scoring pattern is reminiscent of ‘The Champion,' someone who achieves results with a combination of intense drive and resourcefulness,” said Korn Ferry president, U.S. Government Consulting Services, Bernadine Karunaratne. “At the same time, they allow others to shine as well and they can handle difficult situations with humor and grace, as evidenced by their higher than average people agility.”

“Veterans have invaluable talents and skills. The LMLP helps them transfer those skills to the civilian world and gives them tools to clearly articulate their unique value proposition to potential employers,” said Erica Jeffries, Exelis chief inclusion and diversity officer. “Leaving the military is a life change; we help veterans develop a clear career strategy while navigating through their new civilian professional life.”

Graduates of the program have landed exceptional civilian jobs at companies such as Lockheed Martin, Amazon and McKinsey & Company.

During all cohort groups, participants engage in topics such as defining career vision, mapping out a targeted post-military career strategy, creating an action plan that includes networking, using social media, refining interviewing skills and resume-building.

“Not only can I verbalize who I am, what I've done, and where I want to go, but I also use that knowledge and action plan to remind myself not to settle - to keep pursuing what I want and am meant to do,” said Jeremy Blaney, a member of the LMLP third cohort, Master of International Business candidate at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and transitioning junior military officer.

Applications for the fourth session will be accepted online through Jan. 5 and acceptance notification will take place Jan. 15. The program will likely include veterans from nearly all branches of service with military experience ranging from junior enlisted to senior officer ranks. The participants will benefit from a team of global leadership experts from Exelis and Korn Ferry who will lead three days of onsite instruction, group exercises, and lectures. This in-residence portion of the program, which takes place Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15 in Herndon, Virginia, will be followed by four months of focused offsite, online, and integrated learning components, as well as individual coaching – the same research-based leadership development services offered by Korn Ferry to Boards, CEOs, and senior executives at leading global organizations.

Application link: http://www.formstack.com/forms/index.php?1522111-jQP48ldiAi

About Exelis Action Corps

The Exelis Action Corps is the signature volunteer service program for Exelis, a diversified, global aerospace, defense, information and solutions company. Exelis Action Corps is designed to allow nearly 10,000 Exelis employees to give back to their communities by serving military service members, veterans and their families. Exelis leverages a 50-year legacy of deep customer knowledge and technical expertise to deliver affordable, mission-critical solutions for global customers. We are a leader in timing and navigation, sensors, air traffic solutions, image processing and distribution, communications and information systems, logistics and technical services; and we are focused on strategic growth in the areas of critical networks, ISR and analytics, electronic warfare and composite aerostructures. Headquartered in McLean, Va., Exelis employs about 10,000 people and generated 2013 sales of $4.8 billion. For more information, visit our website at www.exelisinc.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Korn Ferry

At Korn Ferry, we design, build, attract and ignite talent. Since our inception, clients have trusted us to help recruit world-class leadership. Today, we are a single source for leadership and talent consulting services to empower businesses and leaders to reach their goals. Our solutions range from executive recruitment and leadership development programs, to enterprise learning, succession planning, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). Visit www.kornferry.com for more information on Korn Ferry and www.kornferryinstitute.com for thought leadership, intellectual property, and research.