- Sven Neu spent almost 10 years in the German army before deciding to retrain and build a career in tech.
- Neu now leads a team of 30 using the mission-type tactics he learned from in the military.
- Neu told BI his methods have impressed workplace leadership experts and set him apart from the rest of the company.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sven Neu, a veteran of the German army who now heads merchOne, an e-commerce B2B print site. It has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2004, I dropped out of high school and joined the German military. After training, I signed up for the mechanized infantry and then became a sergeant, leading a platoon of 30.
I loved the army, especially lifting people up and helping them understand what they were capable of.
But the possibilities become more limited once you get into the sergeant role. By 2007, I realized I had reached a point where I couldn't learn anything more or progress.
After a five-day solo trip over the Alps, I decided I would make a plan to leave.
For three and a half years I studied to complete my A levels in night school. When comrades played games or went out in the evening, I sat there with my learning cards. In 2013, I left to get a bachelor's in business and engineering, followed by a master's in technical management.
After internships, a few jobs, and some freelance work, I got a job with Customization Group, a company creating an entirely new e-commerce vertical. They took me on to build it up from scratch, and now I'm managing a team of 30.
[merchOne is part of Customization Group.]
For a long time, I never told anyone that I was in the military. They were all very surprised when they found out.
But colleagues say that our team seems to have a completely different mindset from the rest of the company and I think that's because of the different skills I've taken with me.
Finding the right people
You intentionally put new soldiers under a lot of pressure in the first weeks to figure out who is suitable and who is not. You bring them to a mental and a physical border where they cannot really keep up appearances.
That's when you realize how people really are. Some start screaming or crying, some help others, and some just take care of themselves.
Obviously, I don't restrict the sleep of all my new hires. But I want my team to be stress-resistant. I want them to assist each other and be proactive team members, and I don't hire assholes.
Because of my experience seeing how people react in the most intense situations, I have the ability to read people in interviews and understand, "Okay, when we are in stressful situations, is this someone who is shouting at others or really focusing on assisting?"
It has helped me build a great team.
Army tactics
There is a very big difference between the German army and all other armies in the world — Auftragstaktik. We give the soldiers a core mission, but we don't tell them how to reach it. They don't sit there and wait for orders; they work autonomously.
That is also what I expect from my team.
I always share the big picture and the North Star with them, but how they achieve it is completely up to them. The question is, where do we want to be as a team?
German soldiers are also trained from the very beginning to fail on their own.
I have to accept that giving my team so much freedom means mistakes will happen. But failing on their own makes them really think about how they individually contribute.
Another lesson I've taken from the military that helps with that is to always educate people to a hierarchy level above them so that they can take over the responsibilities if someone is not available. Back in the army, that would be if you were wounded or dead, but the principle is the same. It allows my team to be proactive and flexible at work.
Finally, I learned the hard way that I am responsible for everything that happens in my team. When the soldiers were freezing because they couldn't make a fire, or not able to build a tent to sleep well, I got into trouble with my superiors for not educating them. That responsibility is always on me and I take it seriously.
I recently shared these mind models at a leadership resilience training, and the workshop expert completely agreed with my methods.
Career change after the military
If I have advice for other veterans looking to enter a new career path, it's this: As soldiers, sometimes you must have an attitude to achieve things. But the world of business is different.
You have nothing, no track record. You are starting from scratch, so listen and learn.
In the army, your career path and training are predefined for you. But here, it's up to you to keep educating yourself — don't think that anyone will ensure you are up to date.
You won't get the camaraderie of the army anywhere else, but you also won't have to sleep for weeks and months in sleeping bags alongside your colleagues!
I miss that feeling of togetherness. But in my new job, I get to keep working with people for people, serving to lift them up and get the best out of them. By doing that, I create value for my business.