Life After Military Service

The military builds not only great war fighters, but also great leaders. Each rank not only carries a position of authority, but the responsibility of the lives under that command. It is a responsibility not taken lightly in either peace time or war time. Even during the Vietnam era of poor reporting by our nation's media outlets showing destitute soldiers begging in the streets and calling it "typical" of returning soldiers, national statistics prove that veterans of Vietnam had a vastly higher employment rate, college education, and overall financial success compared to those of our population that never served their country.

In general, military service men and women command a greater sense of their responsibility to themselves, their careers, and their families. It is this command of self and simplicity of communication that makes them great leaders. People others thrive under such command. As many famous leaders have eloquently expressed regarding leadership ...

• "Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

• "The real leader has no need to lead. He is content to point the way." - Henry Miller

• "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

• "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." - George Patton

Understanding these fine points of leadership is what draws many former military veterans to serve on a company board, or in an executive capacity, or as a manager, or technical lead, some position that allows them to shape the agenda, direct their people, and achieve their goals. Unfortunately, as corporations move away from such leadership to where good intentions are seen as more important than good results, many great managers are being pushed out of their jobs; some mentally, some physically, some both.

As stated earlier, leadership is a great characteristic of the military life, but the misery of corporate downsizing and changing management environments are mainly felt by veterans due to the more negative aspect of military life: the dependence on a large corporate entity. The military is experienced as a large corporation with managers, executives, senior executives, all the way up to the president of the company (such as general, admiral, joint chiefs of staff, etc.). A service man or woman sees their branch of the military as a secure career, albeit dangerous at times, working for a large entity. When leaving the military, a veteran is drawn to a large corporation for perceived job security, loyalty, and advancement through hard work. But it is within the corporate structure that buries initiative, rewards complacency and mediocrity, and drains motivation.

There is a better way. Let me explain.

There are 2 types of heroes: Those that risk their lives to protect their family and fellow countrymen, and those that risk their financial security to preserve the fundamentals of their country's principles. You have served our grateful nation and protected us from the evil that surrounds us, and we are eternally in your debt. You are a true hero, even though I know your honor does not allow you to think of yourself that way. You, more than anyone else, understand what it means to live for something and being prepared to defend something. This is why I believe the entrepreneur is the second type of hero. Our county was founded on rugged individualism and the opportunity to pursue our own path to success, not to have our success dictated and determined by someone else. The entrepreneur does not rely on a safe and secure wage or salary, but prefers to take the calculated risks necessary to build lasting revenue and profit.

It is this willingness to take leveraged risks in the face of uncertainty that makes owning a business a perfect fit for a military veteran. It is also the entrepreneur that defines our great country and makes it worth protecting by the incredible sacrifices of our military heroes.

So when you deliberate on what you need to do to feed your family after you leave the military, think about what truly fits your personality and leadership style. I think you will find running your own business and making a profound positive impact on the development of your followers more to your liking. Through leadership, coaching and mentoring, you can command a business that your clients and employees can admire, where you decide its direction, where you decide its integrity.

I invite you to review my information and to contact me for more discussions once you are ready to pursue a business that is specifically designed around your personal leadership style. We can define goals and benchmarks together, and move you to a place of success, so that you are in a position to do what all great leaders do, develop their people to become even greater leaders.

God bless you, thank you for reading this article, and thank you for your service to our great nation.