Honoring Those Who Served: Benjamin Butterworth
May is National Military Appreciation Month in the United States. MSCI will celebrate by featuring member company employees — our MSCI Metals Veterans — who have served their country in uniform. If you are veteran or member of the military and would like to share your story, fill out this questionnaire. Readers: we hope you will honor these courageous individuals by sharing their stories on social media using #MSCIMetalVets and tagging MSCI.
Name: Benjamin Butterworth
Company: Phoenix Metals
City and State: Norcross, Ga.
Current Position/Job Title: Operations Specialist
Education: Bachelor’s in business administration, University of Memphis
Military Branch: U.S. Army National Guard
Years of Service: 8
Job/MOS in the military: Infantryman/11B
What is something new you learned about yourself from serving? I learned that we are all capable of pushing ourselves much further than we can imagine, regardless of the context. I also learned that being part of a team of highly motivated people working towards a common goal is very rewarding. This is the reason I enjoy my work at Phoenix Metals: every day is challenging in different ways, and there are many opportunities to make a difference.
How have you applied lessons in the military to your job/career? I encourage those I work with to be reasonably prepared for the workday ahead, to have a positive attitude despite setbacks, and to place emphasis on training and mentoring their peers. I often use sketches and improvised training materials to reinforce what I am trying to teach, as well as humor to engage my coworkers and inspire them to action. Most of all, I use and teach the skills I learned to plan, analyze, coach, and delegate. These are skills all leaders can use, and along with authentic, inspirational leadership, form the backbone of our day-to-day operations.
How can the metals industry do a better job connecting with veterans? Recruit veterans from all branches and ranks, not just those that have high-level leadership experience. Do not overlook female veterans! Make efforts to bridge gaps between veterans and civilians in areas of organizational structure, language, and peer to peer communication. Encourage veterans to leverage the skills they learned when working as part of a team to find a greater sense of purpose within their work environments. Encourage civilian employees to take note of the importance of teamwork.
Thank you for your service, Benjamin! Click here to read other profiles in this series and join the Military Appreciation Month conversation on MSCI’s Community Forum.