Musings of a 30 Year Career

COL Jon Thompson, US Army

Last month, I retired from the Army after serving 30 years as an officer.  Over those three decades, I was able to experience things and see places that would not have been possible were it not for the Army.  Along the way, I learned a lot based on what I experienced and observed, and I would like to share some of those key bits of wisdom.

1. Things do not always go according to plan, but that is not always a bad thing.  My initial career goal was to retire from active duty.  At my ten-year mark, I went before the Major promotion board.  When the list was released, my boss called me into his office and told me that I was not selected.  It was crushing news that took me years to get over.  So, I left active duty in 1996 and joined an Army Reserve unit in 1998.  As an Army Reserve officer, I was able to serve longer than I probably would have on active duty.

2.  Have a back-up plan.  Thinking that I was going to stay in for 20 years, I never had a back-up plan in case that did not happen.  So when I found myself taking the long road home from Alaska to Illinois, I really did not know what the future was going to hold for me.  Had I put more thought into it before it was that late in the game, I would have had a better plan instead of trying to figure out what I was going to do at the age of 33.

3. Be proactive in taking care of yourself.  I made it through 30 years including five mobilizations and four deployments and never once had a significant pay issue.  Yet some of my peers had issues that may not be resolved even today.  What was different is that I was not going to wait for someone to do something for me when I could do it myself.  I took responsibility for myself and it paid off.

4. No one is a perfect leader.  My career was impacted by raters and senior raters that failed to do their duty.  But I can also look back at times when I definitely failed as a leader.  No one is perfect and we are not promised that life will be fair.  People will sometimes make the wrong decisions but what matters is the subsequent actions we take.   Some of the most valuable things I learned came from leadership failures, both my own and of those senior to me.

5. LDRSHIP is more than an acronym.  I have heard and read discussions about the efficacy of the Army Values.  Some have argued that they are too simplistic and we need a more professional ethic.  I disagree with that. Throughout my career, I have tried to live these values, even before the Army formalized them in the late 1990’s.  DUTY is why I volunteered for three of my mobilizations as a reserve officer, even though it would hurt my promotion potential by not staying in the same reserve unit.  In my view, if all Soldiers truly lived by these words, many of the issues the Army faces these days would be less significant.  They need to be more than a tag we hang on a chain next to our ID tags.

6. Improve the profession by writing.  As an Infantry captain, I wrote five articles that were published by Infantry Magazine.  In 2010, upon my return from Baghdad where I served as a Human Terrain Team leader, I wrote another article for Infantry and one for Military Review.  I wrote for two reasons.  Foremost, I wanted to share my experiences so that others could hopefully learn from them.  I myself learned many TTPs from various magazine articles.  Second, I wrote to keep my writing skills fresh.  Written communication is important for a leader, and too many Army leaders, officers, and enlisted do a poor job of maintaining this skill.  The more we write, the better we become, and the better the Army will be.

It truly has been a great three decades of service for me and I will always look back and know I was part of a great team.  There is one more lesson that I learned as an ROTC cadet from a Vietnam Veteran Master Sergeant and Ranger Instructor.  It really is the only thing I remember from ROTC.  This final lesson is one that has paid off when I listened to it and caused me to pay a price when I did not.  Simply stated, that lesson is this: “Never pass up an opportunity to use the latrine.”

Read more posts like this, here!

Playing Army: The Difficulties The Guard and Reserve Face

MSgt Lionel Rondeau, USAF

I recently read an article on Fox News (http://fxn.ws/1CFVZr8) regarding the difficulties the Guard and Reserve faced when being recalled to active duty service, and I was appalled at the treatment these service members faced from their superiors.

I was active duty my whole career, but I have worked side by side with many Guardsmen and Reservists from all five branches of the service and have never worked with a finer group of men and women.  I know the difficulties I faced when deploying months on end, going TDY for days, weeks, or months, and being locked down on base for long exercises, but what I dealt with is different from the same requirements that face those in the Guard and Reserve.  Yes, they go through the same separations that the active duty do, but depending on the unit and individual, they may not do it as frequently (or in some cases, more frequently). However, they also have to face disruption in their civilian work, volunteer, and school lives.

With this in mind, employers, both federal and civilian, need to support all members of the armed services, regardless of their status.  These individuals are not “playing war”, but are a cornerstone of our defensive services.  Excluding the National Guard’s state commitments, the Guard and Reserves make up a significant portion of our military forces, encompassing 38% of the total force personnel according to a DoD 2013 demographics report.  This significant force brings flexibility, adaptability, and strategic reach to our forces, allowing our government to adapt to changing situations and fight a war on more than one front.

Even with the protection provided by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), civilian and government employers are creating unneeded hardships for the Guard and Reservists.  A summary provided by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESRG) states: “USERRA provides that an employer must give you time off to perform military service and reemploy you following the service with status, seniority and rate of pay as though you never left. The employer cannot discriminate against you because of your military connection. This protection applies to employees who are full-time, part-time, or probationary, so long as the employment is not brief, non-recurring, and not expected to continue for a significant period.”

Without the sacrifices of our Guard and Reserve brothers and sisters, the stresses on the active duty forces would be enormous.  Our military would be much more selective in its operations, we would have reduced strike capability, less adaptability to battlefront conditions, and the physical toll on our service members would be unbearable.  Most likely, Congress and the DoD would have had to introduce the draft to support the post-Vietnam era instead of using the all-volunteer force that exists today.

While not all employers make their recalled employees’ lives difficult, those that do outweigh the benefits received from the supporters of our Guard and Reserves.  I believe we need to be vocal when we hear of these issues, bring them to light, and support those who are serving with pride.  We are a total force, Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve, and we need to stand together to support each other, on the battlefield, in garrison, and in the community.

Read more like this, here!

Design Your Exit Strategy Before You Submit Your Resignation from the Military

CPT Endre Barath, US ARMY

Design your exit strategy, or should I say your transition strategy, from the military to the civilian world. This is advice from someone who has discovered that the transition from the military to entrepreneurship is one of the most challenging and difficult journeys one can take, especially if there is lack of research, lack of knowledge and just a misplaced cocky attitude.

An exit plan should be addressed as early as possible, because transitioning from a military career to the civilian world is not as easy as most people imagine. For example, I left the military in 1983 as a young Airborne Ranger Infantry Captain and thought that I would be welcomed with open arms and have the civilian world in the palm of my hands.

There were many opportunities that I chose not to take. One of which was to enter the shadow world of the State Department and some of its subsidiary companies, i.e. their semi-civilian corporations. I did not reach out to the Military Industrial Sector, nor did I choose to go back home to become a fireman or a police officer. These were all good choices and opportunities that I did not pursue. Keep in mind that once you close these doors, there are no second chances.

Instead I went to a high-powered New York City recruiter for one of the largest head hunter companies of the time.  He, in turn, looked at my resume and said that Infantry Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Acting Company Commander, and Brigade Headquarters’ Commandant for an Infantry Brigade were all very impressive milestones that I had achieved.  Then he suggested that I join one of the high-powered companies in the medical, biotech, or financial fields and become a sales trainee. He had high hopes that with my drive, I would succeed. I, on the other hand, was hoping to be a Senior Manager or a Company CEO. He smiled and said, “You are not a retiring General with connections. You need to start at the bottom and work your way up.”  

The military taught me to set goals, design a road map and work at it until it was achieved. The road has been colorful at best. I left behind a steady paycheck, retirement options, potential retirement benefits, health care benefits, etc. Just to keep it simple: there are no vacations or sick days and you are working 24/7 if you want to succeed.

I, instead, took the road less traveled. The road lead me to Contract Security Management and ultimately real estate for the past 20+ years in the Boston, MA and the Greater Los Angeles, CA real estate market. The competition is high and the opportunities are higher, but you can never take your eye off the goal.

This is universal to all businesses and particularly to the sales field. With true passion, perseverance, and focus, you will succeed. When you interview for a position, make sure that you get this point across and at the same time remember the interview is a two way street. Get to know the organization’s climate and see if it is a good fit for you. Do not focus on just getting the job, but rather focus on whether or not you can stay the course for years to come.

If this idea is too challenging, then you might consider staying the course and serving until retirement. Enjoy the camaraderie that is not as prevalent in the civilian world as it is in the military. Either way, best wishes for success in all your endeavors!

Read more Command Posts, here!

Leveraging your Military Experience to be a Successful Business Owner

SGT Marion Townes, US Army

The intangible benefits you gain from serving in the Military are priceless. Work ethic, self-discipline, interpersonal skills, determination, and the ability to work as part of a team are just a few of the benefits. For 3 ½ of the last 7 years, I have worked in a virtual environment.

The office and my manager were 5+hours away; I was entrusted because of my self-discipline, determination, and integrity all from my Military experience. I didn’t have anyone telling me what time to start and end work, no one to tell me what to do every day - I just knew what needed to be done.

One of my responsibilities was to act as a business consultant to small business owners, formally titled Agency Distribution Sales Specialist.  In this role, finding an office location, furnishing the office, assisting with hiring staff, developing a marketing strategy, and reviewing financial statements were some of the things I did on a daily basis. As an entrepreneur, you need to be resilient, productive, focused, disciplined, and a hard worker. These are all skills learned in the Military which is why being an entrepreneur is an excellent option for those that have served our country.

Here are some tips to be a successful business owner:

Hiring the right employee is the first thing that needs to be done. Think of the interview process in the same way as a Promotion Board. Reviewing soldiers’ records is similar to looking at resumes. Pay attention to qualities you are looking for in a team member. Once you have selected who you are interested in, the interview is the next step. The questions asked in the interview should be based on the applicant’s job history, experience, and the qualities you are looking for. During the interview, assess their conversational skills, ability to respond under pressure, question if they coachable, ask yourself if you would want this person on your team, etc.

Once you find the right person, you want to keep them as long as you can. Employees are an appreciating asset because they can become more productive and valuable with time. Compensation is one way to keep someone engaged. In the Military, you promote someone when you want to keep them. As a small business owner, you have the option to create a solid compensation plan. Some ideas to consider are: paying for performance (this will allow someone to make their own raise), paid vacation days, flex time, continuing education fees paid, life insurance, etc.

Now that you have your team in place, it’s important to define success. Determine what the goals are so everyone is on the same page with ‘the mission’ or what needs to be accomplished. In the Military, you kept score. You knew how many pushups needed to be done in order to score 100; you knew how many points you needed to make the cut off for promotion. It’s no different in the business world. One way to keep score is to keep track of where your business comes from. Marketing and advertising are expensive; a review should be done on a regular basis to assess the return of investment for each system. Many small business owners get their business from word of mouth, so having a loyalty or referral program might be something to consider.

Hopefully you will find what I have written useful so you can apply it to your operation. My advice to you as an entrepreneur is based on my experience working with small business owners and salespeople in my organization. Good luck with your entrepreneurial journey!

Read more posts like this, here!

Making the Transition

SGT Aaron Dumbrow, US ARMY

I was a very average soldier.  That’s right, I admit it, I was all about doing the bare minimum to get by.  There were quite a few of us like that, we didn’t really care, we just wanted to get back to video games, TV, and drinking.  We had so much potential, but for me it took a kick in the butt and an end to my military career to realize that potential.  Luckily the lessons stuck with me and being a very average soldier helped me to become a successful civilian.

There is a concept that leaders are managers.  I remember during my promotion board we were asked the question, "What is a Sergeant?"  The answer they were looking for was a leader.  While this may be true in a sense. it is more accurate to realize that we are all leaders.  In his book “Tribes”, Seth Godin explains that being a leader is not about managing people, not about being in charge.  It is about being taking your passion and turning it into a movement.  Go determine your passion, look at the market place, reconcile the two, and be a leader in your area.  When we stop limiting ourselves to what we have always done or what we have been trained to do, we can unlock our true potential.  At work, I manage people, but I am trying to avoid becoming a ‘manager’.  My goal is rather to inspire others both on my team and those around me.  I want them to be excited about our mutual interests and lead them, not manage them.

Dave Ramsey, a financial counselor and author, talks about how we become like those we admire and hang out with.  "You want to find out what people who have money do, and do what they're doing.”  It is a pretty simple concept, if you want to be good at something you are going to need a mentor, someone who can help you learn.  Of course for this to work, you need to be a mentor to others as well.  Think about the skills you have that you can help others with.  Get involved, and mentor someone newer in a similar career field, or even a student.  Giving something back is a great way to learn and get better at what you are doing.  Having successful peer mentors is always helpful as well.  In your job, find someone who does the similar job, or if you are transitioning, be a peer mentor to someone else who is on the same road.  Sometimes we just need someone to commiserate with, who can be there when things get a little scary.

I recall starting in basic training and through my military career, we had a concept of "Battle Buddies".  Early on there was at least one person you had to get close to and know everything about.  You had each others back, a real peer mentor.  In the St. Crispens Day Speech in Shakespeare's Henry the V, the King makes the famous speech, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother.”  This is an easy concept when we are a part of the military, it is something that we feel strongly.  For all the rivalry between services, we have all shared many drinks, meals, struggles, and laughs with others.  There are a number of social media outlets; if you reading this it is likely you are already on Rally Point, but there are veterans groups in all of them.  Getting involved in Veterans Service Organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Team Red White and Blue to name a few, is one of the best ways to meet people.  While some of these organizations may have a reputation for being a “drinking club”, or an older organization, many of us are working to change this.  Join us and take charge.  Get involved, volunteer, help other veterans out, make their transition better.

One of the most important lessons I have learned since leaving the Army was I will never be good enough, I will never know enough, but I will always be the one who shows up, the one who makes things happen, and that is enough.  The transition from military to civilian life is a daunting one, but many have gone before, and many of us want to help make it better.  Use your resources, connect with others, and help your brothers and sisters as you go.  Civilian life is tough, but you are not alone.

Read more posts like this, here!