Tour of Duty
In Organization
Start thinking of employees as “Allies on a Tour of Duty”.
The expression “Tour of Duty” comes from the military, where it refers to a single deployment. Obviously, it´s unwise to run a business exactly like a military unit, especially in today´s world, but military and business tours of duty have one important thing in common: “ A focus on honourably accomplishing: a specific finite mission”.
In business, a “tour of duty” is an ethical commitment between employer and employee. It´s written down and agreed to by employee and manager. A tour of duty has a specific mission with a realistic time horizon. For example: Ship this product in 18 months. Be sure the tour of duty promises specific career benefits for the employee. For example: Over the next 18 months, you will develop excellent negotiation skills. Avoid vague promises to employees like “you´ll get valuable experience”.
Tours of duty, reveal the “central paradox” of employment age…”Acknowledging that your employees might leave is how you build the relationship that convinces great people to stay”.
Extract from the book “The alliance”
The term has be coined for business by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh.
Additional Info
- References & Web Links: http://www.theallianceframework.com
http://podbay.fm/show/280272386/e/1412060400?autostart=1