Why are West Point Cadets happier than Stanford Business School students?

This week, I wanted to share a story that reveals a lot about why so many service academy graduates feel such affection toward their college experience despite its rigors and hardships. 

You may have heard of a gentleman named Jim Collins. Jim Collins is a world-renowned speaker, thinker, and management guru. He is also a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has started companies, written books, and advised some of the most influential leaders in the world. 

During Jim’s legendary tenure at Stanford, he was asked if he would consider spending two years at West Point teaching the West Point Cadets about leadership. Always up for a challenge, Jim took them up on their offer and was eager to give this opportunity a try. 

He spent countless hours with the Cadets, following them, asking them questions, and observing them. The 52-year old Collins even set a goal to complete the infamous West Point Obstacle Course within the time required for all West Point Cadet graduates. 

As with most things in Jim’s life, he went all-in.

He even invited a new group of Cadets to his house for dinner every week. During these dinners, he couldn’t help notice how happy, smiley, energetic, and motivated these students were.

Every single one.  

This interaction led Jim to a startling conclusion. 

REVELATION

He believed, after intense observation of both groups, that West Point Cadets were actually happier, on average, than Stanford Business School students. 

How could this be? 

Remember, West Point is all about spit-shined boots, uniform inspections, early morning PT, limited social time, a highly-regimented schedule, and a whole lot of physical discomfort. 

How could these Cadets be happier than the Stanford Business School students who had complete autonomy over their schedules, classes, and extracurricular activities? 

They could come and go as they pleased, they went to Happy Hours together, worked on business plans at the local coffee shop, and hob-nobbed with venture capitalists from Silicon Valley. 

They seemed to be living their best lives. They had the world at their fingertips. 

WHAT ACCOUNTED FOR THE DIFFERENCE? 

Jim believed that the happiness he saw in the West Point Cadets was born out of a shared mission, purpose, and sacrifice. 

After all, when these Cadets graduated, even if they went their separate ways, it was likely that they would eventually see each other again — maybe even in a combat situation. For that reason, they all took responsibility for each other’s success very seriously. 

If somebody was struggling with the Obstacle Course, for example, they all shared the responsibility to make sure that that classmate succeeded at that event. 

If somebody was struggling academically, others came to their rescue with help. 

It was a team effort. 

The culture of teamwork and an understanding that they were all in this together, generated a lot of energy, camaraderie, and fellowship. 

This feeling was palpable everywhere you went on campus. Cadets were alert, engaged, and eager to help. They appeared to be genuinely happy to be there. They took tremendous pride in their jobs, what they were there to do, the standards they had to uphold, and the reputation they had to carry out into the world. 

Jim was shocked. 

True, some of this may be a result of the types of students who apply and get accepted to West Point. They are, theoretically, the best and brightest. But, did they really have to be that happy?

Contrasting the attitudes of the West Point Cadets with Stanford Business school students was even more revealing. 

The business school students didn’t generate anywhere near the level of energy, enthusiasm, and zest for life that the Cadets did. 

Jim didn’t study this phenomenon in a scientific way, but he sure had a few guesses as to the differences. 

The Cadets felt as though they were all on the same team, with a common mission, focus, and endgame. Graduation was the next big hurdle and every Cadet was squarely focused on that goal. 

STANFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS

The business school students, on the other hand, had a wide variety of goals and aspirations.  Some were starting their own businesses, others were trying to land plum internships, others were competing for the most talented students to join their study group, others were competing for the attention of professors, and still others were competing for capital from the local venture capital firms. 

That’s a lot of competition, and not necessarily a lot of cooperation. 

The atmosphere seemed more of a winner-take-all, zero sum game, instead of a common mission. 

There would be winners and there would be losers. 

Upon reflection, it seemed clear to Jim why the West Point Cadets, despite the long days, marching, saluting, cleaning, olishing, and shared suffering, seemed to be happier than the Stanford Business school students. 

They were all moving in the same direction. 

They shared a common purpose, a common vision, and a common bond. 

They were all on a mission to become the best military officers they could be in the United States Army and they would leave no one behind along the way.

If this type of atmosphere and ethos sounds motivating, then a service academy might be just the right place for you. 

It’s possible that hiding behind the superficial images that we often see on YouTube, of the pain, discomfort, and suffering experienced in training, is a Cadet who is actually happy and beaming with pride on the inside.