Military to Management

Armed with extensive knowledge, experience and qualities acquired from a long, fruitful and adventurous stint in the Armed Forces, Col. Atul Kumar (Retd.) is using his expertise to his advantage in the corporate sector as Director Technology at Deloitte. In this interview, he sheds light on what makes corporate life different than in the military and being nostalgic about the good old days spent as an Army Officer. He also shares honest advice with the military personnel looking to hang their boots to try their hands at corporate life

In Army, leadership aspect is more dominant than a managerial one. As an officer, one leads men/women, and all aspects of management follow, while in corporate management traits are more pronounced

Tell us about your role and responsibilities at Deloitte

Deloitte India has Audit, Consulting, Risk Advisory and Tax Advisory functions. Within consulting function, Technology is a service area having multiple service lines. I am in a leadership role as Director Technology in that service area. I report to SAP Service Line Practice Leader for Deloitte India. I am involved in the complete spectrum of activities from initial discovery and advisory conversation with a prospective client to creating a value proposition to delivery and contract management in all digital transformation projects especially those involving SAP application as a solution platform. I provide technology support and guidance to all such engagements driving multiple teams of consultants and managers involved in the same.

In what ways is the management word similar and dissimilar to the army in terms of aspects such as package, discipline, growth, exposure, leadership, role, environment, sabbatical, hierarchy?

Management is a vast term involving various facets of a leader and a manager. In the Army, leadership aspect is more dominant than a managerial one. As an officer, one leads men/women, and all aspects of management follow; while in corporate management traits are more pronounced. In the Army, the leadership style is more towards Autocratic, in corporate sector, it is more of a blend of autocratic, participative and laissez-Faire. In the Army, an officer leads from the front and demonstrates, while in corporate a leader guides and provides support. The aim of a military leader is to achieve the mission successfully towards attaining the vision of the organisation with no consideration to environment and opinions of others while in corporate, the leader desires to achieve a profit with full consideration of consumers/clients and other stakeholders.

As far as work culture is concerned, Army life is deeply rooted in discipline, rigid hierarchy, unflinching loyalty and unquestioned (more or less) obedience. Career progression is limited after a particular rank due to steep pyramidal structure. In corporate life, the hierarchy is less rigid and knowledge-based leadership and growth are a given. The organisation is more flattish, responsibilities and accountabilities are distributed unlike in the army, where a vertical organisation structure makes the buck stop at Commanding Officer’s desk. Compensation packages in corporate have an edge over the Army, however, overall quality of life in the army is much better if one ignores cash in hand issue. The Army is a way of life where there is very little differentiation between professional and personal life and families are part of the organisation which is not so in corporate sector.

There a quite a few similarities too. The selection process is extensive in both though psycho-analysis is given a go in corporate sector. Innovative ideas, academic brilliance and diligence is awarded with accolades and career growth. Opportunities for personal and professional development and exposure to different environments are provided as structured talent grooming process.

You have led various significant projects in the Army. How have these experiences contributed to your performance at Deloitte? How did such a role facilitate your recruitment at such a role in the corporate sector?

In the Army, I was fortunate to have been given opportunities in varied projects and tasks. From rendering ammunition/explosive related advice to law enforcement agencies in 1992 blast cases to participating in Counter Insurgency operations in Punjab, Assam and J&K to serving in Special Forces to fighting the enemy in Kargil, I had exposure to true army professional tasks. Thereafter, managing a huge supply chain for army operational logistics in multiple locations at different levels and then automating the same with cutting edge technology with a number of firsts in the history of IT-enabled supply chain in the armed forces gave me a platform to hone my skills for implementing my knowledge gained through various degrees obtained over my career span.

In a nutshell, my 31 years of army life enabled me with theoretical and practical skills set in HR management, Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, Organisational Change Management, IT Management, Project Management, Event Management and Crisis Management. Having been posted to 19 different places in peace, operations and war, I had exposure to all kinds of pressure situations and managerial challenges requiring out of box solutions and innovative ideas. This resulted in a situation where my leadership, managerial and innovative skills became my core competency, facilitating my onboarding in corporate sector. The experience of leading a lighthouse multi crores ERP project pan India, on cutting edge technology platforms, is a differentiating aspect facilitating me in various projects, which I am handling now in Deloitte.

My 31 years of army life enabled me with theoretical and practical skills set in HR management, Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, Organisational Change Management, IT management, Project Management, Event Management and Crisis Management. Having been posted to 19 different places in peace, operations and war, I had exposure to all kinds of pressure situations and managerial challenges requiring out of box solutions and innovative ideas. This resulted in a situation where my leadership, managerial and innovative skills became my core competency, facilitating my onboarding in corporate sector

Would you say that the military personnel are a good fit in the corporate and the management prefers them over others from civilian backgrounds?

Military personnel can be a good fit in the corporate world. Most of the management techniques are utilised in military life and that too under the immense pressure of survival and reputation. In corporate sector, other than topmost level, the motivation behind work ethics is mostly economic while in military life, it’s got to do with reputation and fame. Hence, military personnel bring with them certain inherent values so very desired in corporate like loyalty, sincerity, integrity, honesty and diligence with least botheration for personal life. However, on the transition to civil life, they have to modify a few of these traits by unlearning and relearning some values. Those who are able to do so are successful in second innings while those who stick to pure military values suffer a bit.

However, management preferring military personnel over those from the civilian background may not be true in all cases. There is a mindset about military personnel in the civilian management about the role fitment in corporate. They seem to think that military personnel are more suited for security, administration and liaison with Govt. agencies kind of roles only. For such jobs, they prefer military personnel but for more technical and soft skills related jobs, military personnel are not preferred.

Military personnel are more logical in approaching any problem and have sequential thinking thereby breaking down the problem statement into subsets and tackling them individually for a comprehensive resolution of the problem. This quality differentiates them from others in a big way. The habitual process of the delegation with responsibility, accountability and importantly, authority is a game changer. Hence, I think military personnel are suitable for any job in the civil street provided reasonable opportunity is given to them with no mindset.

You have immense knowledge about SAP. How did you put it to good use in the Army and in your current role?

In military service, one is trained continuously during the complete career cycle. Even if you are a Brigadier you are required to undergo training like NDC course for a year. I was trained in SAP and related IT subjects during the military service as it was required to improve my skills set related to the job I was expected to perform. I was in charge of a light-house IT transformation SAP project for the Army and had to match wits and knowledge with the best brains from the IT industry as part of the job. Hence, I utilised my knowledge of SAP and other IT subjects like Relational Databases, Networking, Cyber Security, IT Project Management and Data Centres for a comprehensive and timely implementation of the project entrusted to me and my team. To manage varied stakeholders like IT industry, users from army, officials of Army HQ / MOD, PSUs, CGDA, DGOF, DGQA and CAG auditors for timely successful implementation of a giant project like CICP it needed indepth SAP knowledge assisted with management techniques. I was also a reference point for similar initiatives being taken by IT departments of Air Force and Navy and other in directorates of Army as well as some other government departments like CPWD.

My current role also requires me to assist clients in their digital transformation journeys due to disruptive technologies which is possible only because of my SAP and related subjects’ knowledge. The most important part is to remain updated on technology which changes more frequently than a blink of an eye. My knowledge of SAP assists me in envisioning and executing the landscape for clients on SAP platform to enable the minimum achievement of their digital transformation goals.

When did you first decide to make the transition from military to management?

I got superseded in the year 2014 but never felt the need to leave the Army life as it is a wonderful organisation. I am what I am today only because of Army hence, giving it back to the organisation irrespective of career growth was utmost in my mind. I was given challenging assignments which whetted my grey cells and added to my skills set hence I wasn’t inclined to leave the army life.

In the year 2018, after having completed the biggest challenge of implementation of SAP project, I started feeling that probably now army maynot be able to utilise my services in similar challenging assignments and I wasn’t ready for a desk job pending retirement. With retirement just 18 months away I decided I must time my transition to corporate in the month of December 2018.

“In the year 2018, after having completed the biggest challenge of implementation of SAP project, I started feeling that probably now the army may not be able to utilise my services in similar challenging assignments and I wasn’t ready for a desk job pending retirement. With retirement just 18 months away I decided I must time my transition to corporate in the month of December 2018”

Col. Atul Kumar with wife Madhvi and daughters Alankrita and Anshika (behind L-R)

What are the pros and cons of premature retirement from the Army?

The decision to take a premature retirement (PMR) is never easy, especially after 31 years of an enriched career span. One is taken care of so much in the armed forces that one starts feeling very protected and comfortable in the umbrella provided. So the uncertainty started staring in the face because of such a transition is the biggest fear to overcome. Complete supporting infrastructure and the ecosystem of being able to navigate for each and every aspect of professional as well as personal life is very difficult to be given up. One is not so sure of being able to come up to the expectations of civil career requirements. While the monetary situation is not worrisome due to retirement funds (unless one has family responsibilities) one is apprehensive about the surety of job and salary post such transition.

Therefore, it is more of a leap of faith. I was able to make this transition with the help of my family’s support based on due diligence and detailed thoughts covering the complete spectrum of factors. The transition removes you from the comfort zone and professional ecosystem you have grown accustomed to in three decades. Uncertainty of job security and fear of failure plays a big role in the process of decision making. On the other side, it gives another opportunity to test your resilience and competencies by taking up fresh challenges outside of your comfort zone. Disturbance to family life, especially if children are still not settled professionally and relocation outside cantonment is another issue which causes reluctance to make the change. The organisation gains due to creation of an additional vacancy in select ranks though this is a by product.

What were the challenges that you confronted during this phase?

As I said earlier, the biggest challenge was overcoming my own fears and resistance to change. The demons had to be fought and a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of the decision was to be done. Having decided to go ahead I had to plan and time the transition with due thought to organisation, myself, my family and the probability of getting a suitable assignment in civil life. It’s not easy to get a reasonably paying job in choice of work domain immediately after the transition. Mostly, military personnel look around and try to obtain a letter of offer from a suitable employer before applying for PMR. In my case, I followed my gut feeling and went ahead without having an offer in hand because I was sure about my capability, my needs and my desire to spend some quality time with myself in travelling the country and abroad. Luckily for me, there was no challenge from the organisation, which cleared my application in quick time. So the challenge is mostly internal decision making and timing of the transition.

How did you gear yourself up for this drastic change and how did your family respond to it?

To be frank, I didn’t do anything much other than applying for PMR, make administrative arrangements to settle the family outside cantonment and make some arrangements to tide over initial months without a salary as pension/retirement funds take 3-4 months to arrive in case of PMR.

What are the things that you miss about military life and what are the things you do not?

As said earlier, the military is a way of life, not just a profession. I had joined the army at the age of 19 and having spent 33 years in uniform, it is extremely difficult not to miss almost everything of that life-in the prime of your youth. The cohesiveness of a unit, camaraderie of men and women in uniform, social engagements (some voluntary and some forced), sports facilities and regimen of fitness, the pride of wearing the uniform and the aura around it are some of the things surely missed.

What are some cultural aspects that the corporate can bor-row from the military and vice versa?

Any organisation is primarily about the three Ps Product, Process and People. It’s the people who matter most for any organisation to succeed and that is the bedrock principle of military life. Every member of the armed forces including families, is the prime focus. While the achievement of aim is the ultimate goal the armed forces take absolute care of its people. Corporate has of late realised this aspect and taken up programmes for the same, engaging with employees and even their families in a big way. The social fabric of military life is something corporate can take as worth emulating. Celebration of life with different milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, Raising Days, battle honours days, festivals of all religions, ladies clubs and family welfare functions can be adopted duly modified for corporate life.

The military can use open environment of corporate life in at least some of the areas other than operational for generating more inclusive decision making including activities like quality circles and webinars.

I would like to be known as a professional worth looking up to for professional and personal advice in the industry irrespective of my title or pay package. I want to be the “Man to Go To” in my chosen field of work

Did it seem like a challenge to go back to studies (Institute of Management and Technology) to establish yourself in the corporate sector? What game plan did you adopt to make studying at such a prestigious institute a reality?

I have been studying and obtaining degrees all my working life. I have Masters in Science, PhD in Defence and Strategic Studies, MBA in Supply Chain, Finance and HR as also Diplomas equivalent to MCA as part of my quest to accumulate knowledge and empower myself for any role post army life. So my decision to take a sabbatical and undertake a full-time MBA from a premier institute was a logical follow-up. I was actually dissuaded by my seniors and peers in taking up this step as I was very comfortably positioned in a prestigious appointment as CEO of a large supply chain facility at that time. To throw away all the perks and importance of the post and study for CAT- stay in rented accommodation, travelling 50km every day to college and facing financial hardships during those two years wasn’t easy. To get approval from Army HQ was not difficult though I had apprehension about reluctance to let me go. In the end, it all went wonderfully well.

Hard work pays and focussed hard work pays absolutely. My days of toil gave me a good score and acceptance by fellow students and faculty was a bonus. I passed out with first division with distinction which was nice but what was more important was the quality time I spent with my daughters during those two years with all of us living as students. I still remember long nights of studies during exam times with three of us encouraging each other to make Maggi or coffee to be awake.

How is the recruitment process different in corporate versus military?

Recruitment process in corporate sector is also very stringent, especially, at senior level. There is software-based onboarding platforms some of which are boasting of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) too these days, which are utilised by recruitment teams. In corporate sector, vacancies are based on the requirement of projects and need of the organisation to grow. So recruitment happens according to need. They may go to online portals, consultants or in house referral programmes to identify likely candidates and then every organisation has different recruitment or onboarding process with checks and balances including background checks and multiple rounds of interviews or tests.

The military has a fixed vacancy model in which recruitment is based on the need of a rigid organisation structure. For officers, there is a selection process of UPSC exams followed by SSB and medical screening while for other ranks there is a process of recruitment rallies comprising of tests (written and physical) followed by medical screening. Background checks including police clearances are mandatory.

Two major differences are that corporate recruitment doesn’t conduct a psychological screening nor does it have medical tests conducted probably based on its organisational needs.

We are a very close-knit unit and since a very young age both the girls have been extremely close with me. We have our good times on weekends and in the evening time....at times stretching to late nights. Usually, we chill with TV, Netflix, books and discussions on various topics

The grass is always greener on the other side did management seem more lucrative when you were in the Army and vice versa?

would say the intensity of green colour changes with experience. In my younger days, we felt corporate life was all rosy and luxurious in metros while we toiled hard in field areas. As we grew in service and interacted more intimately through professional and personal connects, we realised it is not all that green. Same is the case of people in corporate sector who are enamoured by the glamour of the armed forces mainly due to Bollywood movies but once they get to know our life in better clarity, it dawns on them that military life is not all fancy parties and golf or even commando actions like Uri movie. The main factor found lucrative till very late in my military life was compensation packages in six or seven figures supposed to be given to almost everyone in corporate. This misnomer is more or less gone now.

What are your future aspirations?

I have just started in my second innings. Life is not a T20 match. So I would like to continue for as long as needed by my mind and my basic needs. I need to grow to my level of incompetency in the corporate ladder for which I have a lot to learn and work hard- maybe harder than my peers who are in the environment since long. I would like to be known as a professional worth looking up to for professional and personal advice in the industry irrespective of my title or pay package. I want to be the “Man to Go To” in my chosen field of work.

What values did you have to unlearn while making the transition?

First and foremost I had to convince myself that I was actually a veteran now. After 33 years it becomes a habit to talk, behave and even walk in a particular way. I had to slightly tamper down my swagger. Secondly, I had to understand that the organisational differences necessitate operating slightly differently in conversations, reaching out to various information power centres and creating even simple responses in a collaborative manner. I have learnt to be more patient and cover all aspects in writing (mails etc) unlike in military where a verbal dialogue was equal to a command / order. I have also found that power circles are more profound in corporate and one cannot take anyone on face value. So I am trying to curb my forthright attitude and brutally frank style of conversation.

What piece of advice would you like to give the military personnel seeking a professional transition into the management world?

Military personnel must understand that they are in the best organisation of the world and despite its shortcomings including steep hierarchical structure restricting career growth of far too many capable persons, it is still the best place to work. However, those thinking of a transition must very clearly and thoughtfully analyse their reasons for such a change. If it is due to not getting promoted and apprehension of working under a junior then they must realise they will have to do the same in the corporate sector where a younger person is most likely to be your boss. If they want to leave due to destabilised life as a result of frequent postings then they must consider frequent travels/relocations and change of companies in their second career having the same effect on their families. In case they want to leave due to perceived higher salary then they must consider CTG (Cost to Govt.) equivalent of CTC they are likely to get in the civil street. It is not too different and earlier they realise that not everyone is getting a salary in crores the better it is. They must take the plunge only if they are clear what do they want to do in the second career and be equipped for that role/vertical/industry with qualifications, experience and connects.

Personnel transiting from military to management world must unlearn a few behavioural traits and acquire a few to fit in the new paradigm. As stated earlier, few things taken for granted in military life are to be earned in corporate a simple thing like a separate cabin or a PA/EA. Unlike the military, where officers have a support staff including clerical help, it is not so in corporate sector and one has to write emails and get print outs oneself right up to the top ladder. So my advice is to keep the fundamental values intact like honesty, sincerity, loyalty and integrity and improve on values like tolerance to ambiguity and ability to plan without supervision.

Do you miss the adrenaline rush and social interactions that are at the heart of military culture? How do you ensure fitness while in the management sector? How do you make time for it?

As I said earlier, I miss almost everything of military life I had the privilege of living for 33 years. How can one not miss the actual fighting days in Kargil or theme parties one organised on Raising Days? However, life in corporate also has moments of adrenaline rush with deadlines for submission of bids and rushing from one credence meeting to another commercial negotiation where, one has to win the battle of wits, charm, skill and at times cunningly.

Military life makes one’s body a disciplined well oiled fighting machine. With age, some physiological changes do occur and maybe even some medical problems arise but fundamentally, we become structurally strong. Keeping yourself fit is encouraged by routine life in the military, which becomes a habit irrespective of the fact if you are a veteran. So getting up early in the morning for a walk/run or going to a gym in the evening for cardio and weight training or playing some of the sports lifelong, is a way of life for almost all of us. I have tried to keep a regimen of walk/run with core strengthening exercises five days a week to keep myself fit morning time during summers and evening in winters. A couple of months back, I had an injury due to which some weight gain has occurred as I had to discontinue my routine but I have started again with some precautions and should be back in shape soon. I also moderate my food intake in spurts to bring myself back within acceptable weight range though I am quite a foodie and like to splurge once in a while. In corporate life also I see a lot of awareness and will of people to keep fit by various ways and organisations are also encouraging their employees. The mental stress of meeting the targets coupled with a slightly unhealthy eating lifestyle, however, is causing lots of burnouts and early onset of medical issues.

Personnel transiting from military to management world must unlearn a few behavioural traits and acquire a few to fit in the new paradigm. As stated earlier, few things taken for granted in military life are to be earned in corporate a simple thing like a separate cabin or a PA/EA. Unlike the military, where officers have a support staff including clerical help it is not so in corporate and one has to write emails and get print outs oneself right up to the top ladder

Tell us about your childhood. Did you aspire to be an Army officer since your childhood days?

I lost my father at the age of two years. My mother brought up three of us my sister who was eight and my brother who was seven years old at that time. Despite the situation, we had a reasonably well off life though, I became independent and maybe matured earlier than my peers. Since my father was a doctor, my childhood ambition was to take up medicine as my vocation which later got amended to becoming an army doctor. So I tried my luck through Armed Forces Military College entrance test but couldn’t get through. Armed forces life further attracted me after my sister got married to an Air Force officer and I had a closer look at uniformed life through him.

Tell us about your family members and what they do.

My family includes a homemaker wife and two daughters. Anshika is 27 years old and after her post-graduation she is currently heading Editorial Department of an Academic Consulting Company as Chief Editor. Alankrita is pursuing her graduation in Psychology from Delhi University. We are a very close knit unit and since very young age both the girls have been extremely close with me. We have our good times on weekends and in the evening time....at times stretching to late nights. Usually, we chill with TV, Netflix, books and discussions on various topics. Most heated discussions are with Alankrita, who is more firebrand and has radical ideas. We play cards and dumb charades quite often. Our outings are quite a few within Delhi, India and abroad.