Duke William M. - Down range: a transitioning veterans career guide to lifes next phase

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ISBN 978-1-118-79015-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-82561-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-82571-6

At long last, America has restarted her economic engine. Jobs are returning, revenues are growing, stock values are rising, but American business has moved past this century's first financial crisis only to face anothera crisis of leadership and values. When facing an asymmetric, constantly changing, networked marketplace, companies desperately need accountability, teamwork, and people with an ability to execute. In many ways, they need you!

Veterans have spent yearsand often decadeslearning how to execute as a team. We've operated under pressure, with limited information, in fluid combat scenarios. Our experience in the armed forces gave us an ability to adapt, while teaching us a process for planning and teamwork that leads to the pursuit of flawless execution. As we know, flawless execution is a pursuit, not a reality, and that mindset is what our business leaders are desperately seeking today. We may not yet possess industry vocabulary or a deep understanding of civilian business, but we have the skills modern companies need, and we can, with exceptional speed, learn to use them effectively in this new context.

Despite what too many military transition courses seem to tell us, we are not square pegs destined for a limited number of stereotyped roles. Too often, we're told we're stepping outside the wire, going into hostile territory. We must shed the fear and burden of that false mindset, and instead seize the boundless opportunity before us.

A decade ago, we were in your position, leaving the military, hearing the naysayers, and searching for a career. We soon found a home in business because ofnot in spite ofour years of service. Now, we work with business leaders across the country, the very people who want to hire you. These men and women regularly tell us they want accountability, and an ability to adapt, innovate, and act in an asymmetric world; they need everything you've learned as a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman. You have all the skills necessary to prosper, if not dominate, in civilian business. If you're an E-6, never let anyone say you can't be an entrepreneur. If you're an O-6, don't think people don't want to hire you because you might be perceived as high maintenance. American business needs what you haveso be proud of your background, get to work, and execute in this new world just like you did so successfully in the military. But first, you must understand a new battlespace.

Because less than one percent of Americans have served in the military, many business managers won't initially understand the values and hard skills veterans bring. They only know what they've heard or read, and that's often not accurate. You bear some of this responsibility in overcoming this gap. Selling is the lifeblood of any business, and it'll be the lifeblood of your next move because you'll be selling the most important of commodities: you. To sell yourself, you need to understand how to navigate this new battlefield, and communicate in a new vernacular so you can position yourself properly with the credibility and respect you deserve. Your job becomes showing these businessmen and women what you can offer. You've got the background and the capabilities; you have to make sure employers know it. This becomes job Number One, and we're here to help.

Nobody can predict the future, but you can design it. You've served your country, and now you deserve not just a job, but a meaningful and prosperous long-term career. That takes careful planning, and making the wrong choices at the outset can cap your potential to achieve your long-term aims. So let's start your transition with one of the first things you learned in the military: develop a plan.

This book is intended to provide career planning guidance to U.S. military veterans transitioning off active duty. Although a list of general veterans' benefits is provided in the appendices, this book is not a guide to the many resources provided by military, government, and private businesses to assist transitioning veterans. This is not a guide to getting a job. Getting a job is easy; getting one that you will enjoy, while also providing for you and your family for many years, is the true challenge that lies ahead. With this in mind, this book is a guide to developing a post-military career, not just for the first few days, weeks, or months after transitioning from active duty, but for the rest of your employed life. We will discuss how to build a successful civilian career by leveraging the skills and abilities acquired in the course of a military career.

As the authors, we are passionate about helping you and can specifically relate to your current situation. Not only are we veterans with 35 years of combined active and reserve military service in the U.S. Air Force and Navy, but our collective professional experiences include work: as a hiring manager and human resources professional in a U.S. Fortune 500 corporation; in sales and business development roles in small and large companies; as an entrepreneur and thought leader who has consulted and trained managers and executives in 30 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 and many Global 1000 companies; and as a senior leader with command responsibilities in the military. We have also created a highly acclaimed career-planning seminar for U.S. Army transitioning veterans. Our perspective is unique. We have experienced the challenges that veterans face as they transition to civilian careers from every perspective: that of veterans without a clear career path; employers; highly active members of the military reserve force; corporate trainers; and employees in large for-profit corporations, a mid-size not-for-profit corporation, and a small for-profit company. As consultants, we have been inside the walls of companies in many different industries, witnessed the challenges modern businesses face, and recognized the great value and skills that veterans possess to meet those challenges.