In February 2003, General Lester L. Lyles, commander of the Air Force Material Command, received the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Lifetime Achievement. He left the Air Force at the end of 2003, but Generals don't really retire, of course, and neither did General Lyles. He immediately put his skills to work as a consultant to government and private clients as head of his own consulting company, The Lyles Group based in northern Virginia.

General Lyles' distinguished military career began in 1968, when he was commissioned a second lieutenant and graduated from the Air Force ROTC program at Howard University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. Today, he is one of six partners in a new venture capital firm, Four Seasons Ventures. The firm invests in science and technical startups, and General Lyles is a managing partner, bringing a lifetime of military and technical expertise to the enterprise.

He serves as a member of several corporate and advisory boards, including the NASA Advisory Council, and he works as a consultant to several companies in technical areas related to national defense---especially space technology, aerospace, and defense logistics associated with the Air Force.

For General Lyles, then, the transition from high-ranking military official to civilian executive---a transition that many military officers attempt---has been successful. Recently, USBE&IT interviewed General Lyles to ask him how he did it.

Challenging Transition?

Four-star generals have a large staff and are used to having their orders followed. When we asked General Lyles if the transition to working for himself was difficult, he said, "It wasn't difficult at all. I've found that major corporations value the expertise and integrity that military retirees at the senior level bring to the picture."

In regard to getting started in business since leaving the military, General Lyles believes that the biggest trial has been dealing with profit and loss situations in the commercial world. "This hasn't been a problem or a surprise," he said, "just a challenge. Senior level officers are used to commanding people, and they think in terms of accomplishing a mission, not dollars and cents. Commercial people must focus more on the costs and financial risks of a project and still accomplish their goals. Most military people can make the transition if they understand and translate the needs of the commercial world into the mission accomplishment mindset."

What he misses most about the military is the lack of camaraderie. "Most companies don't treat employees as family or members of the team," General Lyles said. "The military taught me the value of leadership, the importance of building a team. Motivating people and a sense of integrity are natural to the military. These all translate well into commercial life."

Advice to Others

General Lyles is often asked to talk to students, and he welcomes the opportunity. He told us that he stresses three lessons he learned during his career in the Air Force: "All students should learn and emphasize the basic military traits of integrity, service, and excellence of performance, and carry them with them in life."