University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Talent War
Book

The Talent War

How Special Operations and Great Organizations Win on Talent

George Randle and Mike Sarraille
Lioncrest Publishing, 2020
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Companies want to hire applicants with great potential and to develop them into productive employees. So does the military. Mike Sarraille and George Randle, military veterans, find that the US special operations forces – including Navy SEALS, Army Green Berets and Marine Raiders – offer a case study in best practices for acquiring and recruiting talent in the business world. Writing with Josh Cotton, the authors bring decades of experience in talent management – and a wealth of stories – to this valuable resource for HR professionals.

Summary

US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Forces are special because their people are special.

In 2007, Mike Day, a long-serving US Navy SEAL, was on a mission to capture an al-Qaeda leader in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. During this dangerous operation, four terrorists opened fire on Day. He shot back and killed two terrorists before an enemy grenade knocked him off his feet. The two surviving terrorists shot him 27 times.

Day’s protective armor deflected 11 bullets, but 16 struck him, rendering him unconscious as the terrorists continued to fire upon his SEAL platoon.

Though badly wounded, Day regained consciousness and managed to shoot and kill the two remaining terrorists who were pinning down his platoon. Somehow, Day made his way to casualty evacuation. Four months later, after extensive recuperation, he returned to active duty. He took charge of a SEAL advanced training group, once again putting his toughness, spirit, resiliency and determination to work.

The SEALs are part of the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). USSOCOM’s other components ...

About the Authors

Mike Sarraille is the CEO of the Talent War Group, an executive-search and talent-advisory firm, where George Randle – head of global talent acquisition at Forcepoint cybersecurity – is a strategic adviser. 

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