Why Are Army Recruiters Killing Themselves?

This Time magazine article talks about the dark side of recruiting. Persuading young people to join the army when a war is on is always challenging. But the pressures on recruiters in this Texas battalion has caused 4 recruiters to commit suicide.

Pushing people to work 15 hour days for the long term is a sure fire way to create a highly demoralized environment. And that is what appears to have happened here. Add to this a culture that focuses more on the stick than on the carrot (decorated soldiers were being berated openly in monthly meetings if they did not make numbers) and you have all the ingredients required for a tragedy.

While very tragic, this extreme story gives us a glimpse into what not to do when setting up an organizational culture. Definitely worth a read for somebody interested in leadership and performance management.