Our Podcast

In this episode, Lauren Kordzik sits down with Cameron-Brooks alum George Pesansky to discuss what his 30 years of hiring and building teams taught him about JMOs, and why the best companies keep coming back to hire these great leaders.

George Pesansky came through Cameron-Brooks in 1996 as an Army officer. He didn’t know exactly what was next. He just knew he was ready for something new.

Thirty years later, he’s built a company, hired JMOs, and coached leaders inside some of the most complex manufacturing operations in the world. He wrote a book about it. And he still comes back to the same idea when someone asks what separates good leaders from great ones.

We Before Me

We before me.

It sounds simple. But George will tell you, it’s actually rare.

Most organizations, at some point, start optimizing for individuals. Career paths, visibility, personal outcomes. It’s subtle. But over time, it shapes how decisions get made and how teams show up.

JMOs come from a different culture entirely. The mission is the priority. The team is what matters. Candor isn’t a personality trait; it’s expected. That doesn’t disappear when someone transitions out of the military. It comes with them.

George also pushes back on one of the most common reasons companies hesitate to hire JMOs: they don’t have industry experience.

His take? There’s a difference between knowledge and skill.

Knowledge (a product, a process, a system) can be learned in weeks. Skill (real leadership, the ability to drive results through people, the discipline to do the hard thing) takes years to build. JMOs already have it. Hiring managers sometimes get those two things mixed up.

When you get that hiring decision right, the return isn’t just one good hire. It’s a stronger team. Fewer people walking out the door. A culture people want to stay in.

George saw it firsthand. And he’s watched it play out over and over again in the organizations he’s worked with since.

Work with Cameron-Brooks

If you’re looking to hire a JMO for your team, we would love to connect. Feel free to contact us to learn more about attending a Cameron-Brooks Hiring Conference. Or feel free to email Lauren Kordzik at lkordzik@cameron-brooks.com.

For any JMOs thinking the transition? We’re here to help.