16 months into the transition and so many of these points hit home. One area that is especially hard to swallow is that you have to individually prove and understand your value. Nobody will do it for you if you don't consistently advocate for yourself. The days of automatically receiving an eval are gone. Most companies I have interacted with seem hesitant to provide critical feedback or communicate the bottom line openly. I think this is where most veterans can break through civilian norms and initiate hard discussions to add value to the organization.
Great writing and I hope more veterans continue to read these valuable lessons.
A perspective that translates to many of us. Working with chronic illness has many of feeling the same way, a healthy imposter. Your suggestions are practical and I found them helpful. Great Writing
As a non-vet, this is the best advice yet in the Transition Series. I find the role of mentors, honest feedback, and willingness to do the dirty jobs as important items to continually re-focus on. This is especially true after transitioning to a new company after several years with a previous firm.
I think it is useful to think of transitions like this one as a “new beginning” and that as a “beginner” in civilian life, you can’t expect yourself to be an expert, no more than a civilian would know how to navigate the military if suddenly thrust into it. Think of transition and the first several years out of the military as a sort of bootcamp. It’s a new language and new system with new norms. Takes time!
Ben,
16 months into the transition and so many of these points hit home. One area that is especially hard to swallow is that you have to individually prove and understand your value. Nobody will do it for you if you don't consistently advocate for yourself. The days of automatically receiving an eval are gone. Most companies I have interacted with seem hesitant to provide critical feedback or communicate the bottom line openly. I think this is where most veterans can break through civilian norms and initiate hard discussions to add value to the organization.
Great writing and I hope more veterans continue to read these valuable lessons.
Ben,
A perspective that translates to many of us. Working with chronic illness has many of feeling the same way, a healthy imposter. Your suggestions are practical and I found them helpful. Great Writing
Thank you Teresa! That is really good to know. Thanks for your support!
As a non-vet, this is the best advice yet in the Transition Series. I find the role of mentors, honest feedback, and willingness to do the dirty jobs as important items to continually re-focus on. This is especially true after transitioning to a new company after several years with a previous firm.
I think it is useful to think of transitions like this one as a “new beginning” and that as a “beginner” in civilian life, you can’t expect yourself to be an expert, no more than a civilian would know how to navigate the military if suddenly thrust into it. Think of transition and the first several years out of the military as a sort of bootcamp. It’s a new language and new system with new norms. Takes time!