3 of Many Lessons Learned
Now coming up on my 15 year military anniversary, I wanted to think back and give some insight on a few valuable lessons. Maybe this advice will help some to take steps forward in their military career, but this is not an all-inclusive list. I was just wanting to get these ideas out of my scattered brain and into discussion online. So here we go……
- Take every opportunity to do something different. There are various amounts of jobs within your specific career field and probably 10x more outside of your career field that will sometimes be presented to you. As long as you have mastered your current tasks, always say YES to these opportunities. Find your weaknesses and find the opportunities that will eliminate those weaknesses. Majority of people struggle with public speaking, the nerves, the massive amounts of preparation, or just being in front of people. I was one of those who struggled and knew I struggled. There was an opportunity for me to become a teacher, and I took it. Within 6 months of teaching 8 hours a day, I felt unbelievably comfortable talking in large groups and started seeking out opportunities to create my own curriculum to teach within the military and even outside at times. One of my proudest moments was being asked by my mentor Dr. Holly Schroth of UC Berkeley Haas School of Business to help facilitate some lessons with Berkeley Executive Education. Additionally, I was requested to teach a lesson in Emotional Intelligence to Berkeley Students attending a DeCal course. After 5 years of teaching for the military I found a new passion in teaching and will most likely pursue this path once I separate. If I could go back and tell myself when I first started in the military that I would enjoy teaching one day, I would laugh in my own face. Do not be the person who turns down new opportunities. They may not all be winners, but once you turn one down, others may see you as someone who doesn’t want to branch out.
- LinkedIn or left out. Set up your LinkedIn and encourage others to do so as well. Often I was asked about my LinkedIn while teaching in the SF Bay Area by business executives in some of the classes I helped facilitate. I realized that I needed to get started NOW with creating and perfecting my online presence with LinkedIn. For a lot of us in the military the first time we really give any effort into LinkedIn is while attending a military transition course before we separate. This is way too late to start your profile because you will forget many of the people that you dealt with while in the military by that time reducing the amount of connections and people that can vouch for your work ethic and skills. Encourage your coworkers to setup their profiles and start making connections online. The goal is 500+.
- Don’t be afraid to give feedback to your boss. Now don’t just rush into their office and tell them what they may be doing wrong in your eyes. I recommend discussing how you both want the same things first. You both want the unit to be successful and accomplish the mission according to the Commander’s game plan. Once you two meet on the same level you can begin the discussion of how things may need to be relayed differently throughout the office or how things can improve. I once had a boss that I saw as a very career and promotion focused individual. You could tell they wanted that next chevron badly. I never liked that type of attitude as I usually saw these individuals sacrifice good working climates for their next promotion. One day I decided to talk to them about how I felt the unit needed to change its game plan and attitude. We were onboard a sinking ship, and no one felt comfortable enough to discuss it. I first started off with how I don’t see eye to eye with them at all times and how I am not completely oblivious to reality and that they may not see eye to eye with me on many things as well, but I want the unit to do well and I know they want the unit to do well. So we established that we both wanted the unit to succeed. This opened up into a two hour conversation that I felt led to the unit making some changes that will establish success for years to come. Therefore, if the unit succeeded, I would feel like I am no longer on a sinking ship (which is a great feeling) and they would most likely be granted the opportunity for promotion. So we wanted the same reality but for two different reasons and that was okay with me.
Like stated above, these are just three lessons I wanted to make sure I relayed to those currently in or just joining the team. Let me know what you think. Peace and Love.
Good read, Thanks for sharing. Networking seems to be left out of the equation when it comes to PME. It'd be nice to see some more of that when bringing up young NCOs in the future AF.
Thanks for sharing, Dan! Great advice for all audiences!
Great read Dan, thanks for sharing.
Very well said Dan! What people need to understand (and what you’ve clearly stated) is that it’s those “hard” jobs or those “difficult” tasks that make us who we are....It’s those situations where “wining” is defined as the experience/knowledge you’ve gained for the next round. I tell my kids all the time that it’s okay—evened welcomed if you don’t get the desired result the first time out of the gate. It’s that valuable experience that gets us where we’re going, and if we don’t confront difficult things/positions/people, then we’ll always be average, just like everyone else.....Again, very well said sir!