Online Education Programs for JMOs

I am currently recruiting Junior Military Officers (JMOs) in the Washington DC area. I am very impressed with how many of these JMOs have taken it upon themselves to further their development formally and informally. At Cameron-Brooks we continuously advocated self-development through informal training such as self-analysis and a business reading program. Not all JMOs have the financial resources or time for formal education. However, for those that do, many ask me for recommendations. There are several options for formal education that range from online MBA programs to executive certificates from Villanova University and University of Notre Dame. I am focusing this blog post on online program recommendations versus classroom based only because most JMOs are not located near a quality university/school to further their education.

I recently read an article in the Financial Times (March 14, 2011) that listed out the top online MBA programs. I noticed that many of the online programs listed were also ones utilized by several of our JMO candidates. Here is a list of online MBA programs highlighted in the Financial Times and utilized by Cameron-Brooks JMOs prior to their transition:

Northeastern University – www.onlinemba.neu.edu

(I have also received excellent feedback on Northeastern’s online MS in Finance program)

Indiana University – Kelley www.kd.iu.edu

Arizona State University – Carey www.wpcarey.asu.edu/mba/online

University of Florida – Hough www.floridamba.ufl.edu/workingprofessional/internet/

University of Texas at Dallas www.som.utdallas.edu/onlineprograms

University of Maryland University College www.umuc.edu/programs/grad/xmba

This list is just some recommendations and is by no means the only schools we recommend but rather just some that have been recognized by a high quality publication and utilized by our candidates.

For those that do not have the time or money for a full degree there are numerous schools that offer online executive certificates. We have received strong feedback from our JMOs who have partnered with Villanova and Notre Dame executive certificate programs. We recommend certificates in General Business, Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management and Negotiation (especially for those interested in sales).

Villanova – Specific programs include Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management

http://www.villanovau.com/university-online-programs/

Notre Dame – Recommended programs include General Business and Negotiation

www.notredameonline.com

For those JMOs who do not have the time or financial resources, many of the military websites (Army Knowledge Online, Marine.net) offer certifications in numerous relatable subjects to business. They include MS Excel, MS Access, Lean, Six Sigma and Project Management. Specifically Army Knowledge Online uses a program called SkillPort. I also believe any military service member can sign up for an Army Knowledge Online account and use the service. You do not have to be an Army JMO.

These are just recommendations and at Cameron-Brooks we recognize not all JMOs have the ability for formal training. This is why we have our thorough and in-depth Development and Preparation Program which was labeled an “mini-MBA” by a Fortune 100 Consumer Products Company client.

If you have any other recommendations or insights, please feel free to post a reply.

Joel

From JMO to Business CEO – Leadership Lessons

Monday, Procter & Gamble  (P&G) announced Bob McDonald, current P&G Chief Operating Officer, will assume the CEO position at P&G and A.G. Lafley will step down after a very successful tenure.  Both Mr. Lafley and Mr. McDonald are former JMOs,  Lafley Navy, and McDonald a USMA graduate and Army JMO.  When Roger Cameron started the JMO recruiting industry in the 1960’s during the Vietnam war, Procter & Gamble was one of the first three companies to partner with Roger to hire JMO leaders.  It is exciting for Cameron-Brooks to see the success JMOs can have in their companies and the impact they can make.

I just finished watching an hour-long video of McDonald speaking to MIT MBA students earlier this year.  He discusses the importance of self-analysis, developing a purpose for your life and career, sharing that purpose with others, why leadership is the most important and scarcest resource in the world and his 10 tenets of leadership.  If you are a JMO, current business leader or in any type of leadership position, this is a must watch video.  Go to http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/664.  You will learn how to develop a purpose for your life and understand your leadership style, why feedback to your team members is critical, the importance of adapting to the environment, leading change and more.

For those of you who are familiar with the Cameron-Brooks program, you will hear references to many of the books in Cameron-Brooks Reading Program© and McDonald also highlights the importance of self-development throughout your career.  It makes sense that the Cameron-Brooks Development and Preparation Program© is aligned with P&G since they were one of our first client companies and Roger based the program for Cameron-Brooks candidates to be successful in the transitions and careers with his clients at the time.

I want to thank FB Castro, current Cameron-Brooks candidate, for sending me the video link.  It really made me think through my leadership and how to apply it at Cameron-Brooks, as well as teach others in our program.

As a side note, Bob McDonald took an active role of continuing to hire JMOs at P&G and attended past Cameron-Brooks Conferences.  He actually talks about the importance of staying connected with recruiting during this lecture. 

Joel Junker