Presence and the Veteran Transition

I discovered Presence on my junior high wrestling team. I was in my fourth month as a wrestler, and had never won a match. In fact, I had not lasted beyond the first round. Granted, I was never the most athletic kid, but I was reasonably smart and certainly wasn't a quitter. Yet each time I stepped up to the mat, I would just crumble. It was like the world would move faster than I could ever handle. My opponents would wrap me into a pretzel before I could decide how to react. 

But on a Tuesday night at Northside Junior High, something happened. I was in the first round of the match, and my opponent had me in a suffocating hold. Then, a light switch flipped on. I was like a robot that became aware. My mind accelerated to the pace of reality; months of training flowing through my veins. I instinctively felt my positioning for a head and arm throw. I grabbed the wrestler's triceps, flipped him over my hips, and pinned him in 2 seconds. I jumped up celebrating like Goldberg in the Mighty Ducks. 

I recently read Amy Cuddy's book Presence; largely propelled by her TED Talk which I encourage all to watch. Presence is hard to define universally. In fact, Cuddy has many of her fans submit their own definitions of presence. To me, Presence is "the ability to render one's cognitive and intuitive resources in response to a real time stimulus." In other words, to be and execute in the moment.

Amy's story is quite amazing. She recovered from a severe car accident to become a foremost expert on social psychology and a Harvard Business School professor. But to be completely frank, it was hard to empathize with her and her subjects in the book. It has ben a long time since I've felt "absence". In my adult life, I've always been able to speak confidently and articulately to authority figures. I never have experienced the impostor syndrome she speaks of. (Evidently, her research shows several successful people walking around who feel like they've never earned their successes in life; that their internal locus of control applies only to mistakes, and never to wins). Cuddy also describes the importance of physical presence and "power posing". In recent years, I have learned to sit up straight, relax my hips, and project power with my voice. In my adult life at least, I have felt Presence. And when I think about why, it all points to my time in the military. 

This strikes a critical tone when it comes to the messaging around veteran hiring. Pretty much any socially conscious company in the United States has some sort of veteran hiring initiative. While I appreciate the intent, sometimes I feel like the expectations and the messaging is helpful only for a specific kind of veteran; namely one who is transitioning from Active Duty directly into the private sector in some sort of vocational role. I see a spattering of themes including, but not limited to, the following:

a) "hard worker": veterans are used to working longer hours than most people.

b) "leadership at an early age": veterans hold disproportionately large responsibilities for a young person.

c) "mission-oriented": veterans understand the meaning and importance of a quantifiable end-state.

d) "High level of Integrity": veterans hold strong moral foundations and an honest disposition.

These are all true; I do believe the vast majority of veterans possess these honorable qualities. My problem is that, for most professional careers in the 21st century (e.g. careers that most NCOs and officers would pursue), these are baseline attributes that any seasoned professional in a competitive candidate pool will possess. In fact, anyone who doesn't understand hard-work, basic team-leading skills, the importance of a mission, or possess integrity is quickly filtered out of competitive candidate pools. The context transitioning vets must understand is that, for serious careers in successful companies, "hiring a veteran" often means turning down another highly qualified and seasoned candidate. In this context, I find our "hire veterans" messaging holistically inadequate. We continue to define all veterans against the most general standards of employability without showcasing the creative talent and corporate potential that exists amongst leaders leaving the service. 

The goal should not be simply a civilian transition for a veteran. The goal should be to achieve as lateral of a transition to the private sector as possible. This means positioning officers, NCOs, and highly trained soldiers as marketable candidates beyond the baseline attributes above. We must evolve the veteran hiring effort to align with modern theories of social and organizational psychology to which senior executives adapt each year. Simon Sinek, Amy Cuddy, and Adam Grant are today's Jim Collins and Dale Carnegie: they are innovative thinkers who influence the way executives operate in a modern world. It behooves us to speak on their terms; not impose our own. 

Amy Cuddy offers veterans a lay-up in this pursuit because veterans are nothing if not Present: we literally announce ourselves as "Present for duty". But this is more than a state of location, it's a state of mind. In the service, we handle dangerous machinery, weapons, communications equipment, all while leading teams on complex operations. Presence is the most translatable skill set I took from the service to my civilian career. In sales, being Present means showing up in front of my customers, listening diligently to their concerns and business problems, asking challenging questions, and responding articulately. I make my Presence known through my body language and my appearance. I show up early, my shirt and suits are pressed, shoes shined, hair freshly cut, and while I now sport a super trendy beard, it's trimmed and clean. I may no longer be a Soldier, but I am certainly Present for Duty at my workplace. 

So here are the takeaways:

First, if you're a service member contemplating a transition...Read, Read, and then Read some more. "Once an Eagle" and "We Were Soldiers" got you ready for combat; I encourage you to switch to "Built to Last" by Jim Collins or "Originals" by Adam Grant. In your career search, the private sector is your customer, and you are an unknown startup looking for traction. Learn how your customer thinks about their organizations and their market. Figure out their mold, and determine where you want to fit in it. Otherwise, they'll do it for you based on what most employers have been taught about the military...which isn't very much. 

Second, keep up the fire. Veterans are fantastically built for the private sector, in so far as the intensity and vigilance transition too. Being a corporate citizen is not as serious as going to war, but it isn't a vacation either. As a Soldier, your paycheck was predictable in both time and amount. You may never see violence in your private sector career, but many business functions (sales, marketing, etc) have compensation strongly tied to personal, team, or company performance. They're called RSUs, options, commission, draws, bonuses, carry, interest, etc. It can get confusing. Don't be shy about asking for help. But generally speaking, if you stay hungry, I've found that success will come. You'll have bad years and good, but you will trend upward with the right attitude and conviction. 

Lastly, be Present and describe yourself as such. Turn off the distractions (social media, cell phones, video games, dating apps), and become a master of your craft. Read, Rehearse, and Execute. Take it for granted that your colleagues who are growing in their careers are seeking advice from those like Sinek, Grant, Cuddy, and others who study organizations and growth for a living. Speak their language. That way, when they are looking for a leader to climb along with them, you can raise your hand and confidently let them know you're Present for Duty.