David Sanford’s Post

Installment # 3 on how service members I worked with/for/over adjusted to corporate America. The Navy version... Retired Navy officers, much like retired Marine officers I knew, did not adjust very well to corporations I worked for. Perhaps, the least well adjusted was a retired Navy Captain that came on board the same day as me, and was fired within six months for putting his hands on someone. For some reason, I worked with a half dozen retired Navy Captains, all top performers, and other than the one that was fired, the rest just quit. The best quote I recall from one of them who was a stellar performer said, "I could never get anyone above me to realize their leadership style was toxic and counterproductive." He was absolutely correct. I did work with one retired Navy officer who was a POS. His finances were a mess because he bought too much house and too expensive cars after retirement, or perhaps he was a POS in the Navy too. Navy one termers, officers and enlisted, I worked with did very well. I can think of ten I worked with and each was a high performer that built great teams. However, none could ever get promoted and were considered poor communicators, i.e. they were loud and honest in their critiques. Veterans, please work on your communication skills. You can build great teams with the skills you learn in the military, but the constant lecturing by HR and your boss about how you speak to people, especially them, will be a constant mental headache for you. And get your finances in order before you leave the military. #veterans #veteranshelpingveterans #leadership #marines

Our Beginnings. If you didn't know it, the US Patriot Chamber of Commerce started because a financial advisor & US Army veteran had clients transitioning out of the military. They had their TSP and planned to make a go out of a private sector career. Some of those clients succeeded, and others found themselves, only a few short months later, discovering that the grass wasn't as green as they thought. The corporation they worked for was not as pro veteran as they assumed, and they didn't feel like they understood how to fit in. Some of those clients ended up becoming government contractors and went back to work in the exact same space for the exact same boss they had before. We wanted to make a difference, not just in the lives of veterans, but also in the cultures of corporations. As the Patriot Chamber, we don't just want to help our transitioning service member gain employment, we want to help them sustain senior leadership roles within private sector companies. So, we take the extra step of providing mentorship, and helping our nation's heroes develop the unique skills required for private sector leadership. And we're a great place to network for both patriots and veterans! We aren't just a chamber of commerce. We are, uniquely, a chamber of commerce that is "by civilians, for veterans". This is the place where freedom works. #transitioningservicemembers #veterans US Army United States Air Force US Navy United States Marine Corps US Coast Guard Academy

Transitioning service members often emphasize their military leadership and management experience on their civilian resumes, yet many still struggle to leave a lasting impression. Why? A common issue is simply listing statements like, "Led a platoon of 20 personnel" or similar descriptions based on the number of people they managed. This isn’t limited to junior roles—I’ve seen the same from senior officers across the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, including former Commanding Officers. For instance, I've come across resumes from former Commanding Officers of amphibious ships that read something like, "Led 3,000+ personnel," sometimes with a brief mention of what those personnel did aboard the ship. The problem becomes more pronounced when these individuals apply for Director or C-suite positions, where they claim to have had 3,000+ "direct reports" with little additional context. Here's the reality: when sharing your leadership experience, the focus should be on the impact you made, not just the number of people you led. Let’s be honest—if you were a Commanding Officer of a carrier or amphibious ship, did you really have 3,000+ direct reports? Of course not; you had Department Heads who helped manage the crew. Even CEOs of large companies don’t have that many direct reports—they work closely with a small team of top executives (COO, CMO, CIO, CFO, etc.), each of whom manages their own teams. The bottom line: When highlighting your military leadership and management experience on your resume, it's fine to mention the size of the team you led, but be sure to focus on the impact you had on the organization. Maloney out! ✌ #transitioningmilitary #resumetips #womenveterans

This is my second addition of which branch of service veterans I have worked with adjusted/adapted to corporate America enough to get promoted through the system. It saddens me to report that Army officers, retired and one termers, I have worked with somehow best managed their way through the labyrinth of poor leadership to excel in the companies I worked for. I didn't see them sacrifice their integrity to get promoted by throwing peers under the bus, or suck up to their bosses. Perhaps they had to manage through the politics during their service years so they entered corporate America with more experience, but that's just speculation. Bear in mind that a large percentage, just like the other services, quit, transferred or were fired, but more Army officers made it through the system than the other services. Unfortunately, retired and one term enlisted members did not fare as well. Most were high achievers but couldn't manage the politics and poor leadership of their bosses to push through the system. I'm great friends with one Senior Enlisted retiree that promoted up to the starting point where most retired officers begin, couldn't get promoted, and has spent the last three years training newly promoted individuals a pay grade above him. Why can't he get promoted? His communication style isn't to the liking of those that make promotion decisions but, it's good enough to train those above him. Veterans, if I could only give one piece of advice to help get promoted, it's to work on your communication style. The direct and honest communication style you're accustom to in the military will help you build a great team, but your boss and just as importantly, human resources will red flag you as a non-promote. #veteranshelpingveterans #veterans #leadershipdevelopment #leadership #marines

I might be the most cynical person I know. I hate catchy phrases such as Get Real, Get Better. But what I love is seeing an issue and finding a way to fix it. The Get Real, Get Better campaign by the Navy is nothing new, really it is something all organizations, industries and such should already be doing. Find an issue and figure out how to do it better. I hated the idea of Get Real, Get Better because we already should have been doing it. That should be the foundation of being an officer in the Navy. It is really the same idea as remove barriers for our Sailors to win and succeed. Why then is it “new”? It is new because we lost our way. During my leadership class this week I realized and looked in the mirror, I too needed to GRGB. Turns out I hold a deep grudge for leaders that I deemed failed the Navy and our Sailors. I will not point out the individuals or the specific events but think big picture recent Navy issues. Each of these events I honestly took personal, how dare these leaders put my Sailors our people into harm for no reason. I always thought I would never make those mistakes that they did. Turns out they, just as most did not plan or want to fail. It happened for all kinds of reasons, almost a “wicked” problem. My get real moment was you just never know. Personally you and the team can only do so much. You can only fix one problem at a time. Which one is the most important? Time will tell if you made the right decision. GRGB can be for any level institution, command or individual. We need to get past the new catchy phrase and remember what GRGB means. It means see the issue, analyze the issue, and make the best decision on how to proceed. If we all did this, to include those not in the military, we the nation would be better. This week was therapy for me really. I was able to look at issues in a different light and see the issues. See people really were trying, but lost time. Thank you Naval Leadership & Ethics Center (NLEC) Commander, Naval Air Force, Pacific Naval Reactors for time to really look in the mirror, to GRGB. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy Naval Education and Training Command America’s Navy Jobs Oregon Trail Navy Recruiting Command

#veterans Did you hear it? Did you hear the Acting Director of the Secret Service, almost, take accountability for the Trump shooting. My guess is he's probably been taught what the true definition of accountability means, but he just couldn't go through with it, so he threw others under the bus. He actually went farther to accept responsibility than my boss's in corporate America. After saying how ashamed he was of the SS, he then said locals were supposed to be covering the rooftop, and even produced a photo with the local snipers view-point and couldn't figure out how the local sniper couldn't see the bad guy. Translation, it's not our fault because someone else was suppose to be covering the roof. For those Marines out there, we all learned and lived the most important leadership step is....supervise. If someone was supposed to be covering the roof, it's the SS responsibility to ensure they were covering the roof. He did and will continue to break his neck looking for someone to blame, except LEADERSHIP, all the way to the top including himself. My first big surprise in corporate America was watching a peer blame a subordinate for something in front of his boss. I never saw this happen once in the Marine Corps. I can't count the number of times my boss asked me who was at fault for something and I said, "me." I also can't count the times I walked with peers while boss's two levels up were there, and my boss would throw us under the bus. You have to understand that in corporate America, and I guess the Secret Service, managers are searching for others to blame and failure to supervise isn't part of the equation when holding people accountable. #militarytransition #marines #marinecorps

🪖 What I learned in my 1st year in the Army 🪖 I joined the Ohio Army National Guard when I was 17, in the final months of my senior year. I became a Radar Repairman, which had a 44 week Advanced Individual Training after my Basic Training. I grew up in a middle class white suburban town in northeast Ohio. I did not have a great amount of exposure to meeting and engaging with Latinos, African-Americans, or Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. Nor did I really understand many of the regional differences of those living in the Southeast, Southwest, and the East Coast compared to the Midwest where I was from. Training for a year straight in an environment with really high standards forced me to grow and change. Spit-shined boots 🥾, highly starched uniforms with creases, high academics, rigorous physical training, and a fresh haircut 💇♂️. There were no sick days, unless you were really sick 🤢. I learned how to overcome being home sick and working in tough environments. There wasn’t a “I don’t feel like doing this today” option. What I learned: ✅How to push through Uncomfortable ✅How to engage and work with a multitude of people ✅I learned how to fix electronics ✅I learned how to push myself mentally ✅I learned you win when you don’t give up All of those were (minus maybe the electronics) lifelong lessons to make me a strong contributor and Leader! What were the biggest things you learned when you first joined the service? 🫡 Natalie Dubeansky, SHRM-CP Ohio National Guard - The Adjutant General's Department of Ohio #transitioningmilitary #army #militarytransition #lifelessons #veteran #leadershipdevelopment #professionaldevelopment #hardwork

Something to think about

Transition tip for veterans: Creating trust and confidence that opens doors requires time and patience. Stepping out on new walks of life are part of that journey. Business owners build customers one at a time. Leaders build trust one interaction at a time. Companies make bets on leaders based on confidence in aligned values and proven ability to deliver what matters to the company. How many advocates did it take to achieve O-5 command? Command delivers transformative experience. So does leading a business unit. They’re not the same, although they share common elements. Leading people is not the same as managing finance - and managing a command budget definitely isn’t the same as managing a capital project or program. Common threads - different goals, challenges and values. Think of your network as a way to build like-minded advocates - One at a time. Bigger roles require larger trust networks. In business, trust generally equates to capital responsibility and head count. Earning that trust happens one project and one mentor at a time. My observation: Don’t worry about the title. Focus on the opportunity to learn and grow. And: don’t overlook the chance to bet on yourself by starting your own company. The ultimate leadership experience requires no resume. Here’s a great way to contribute to some insightful research. I don’t align to the title but I do appreciate the intent. Misty Cook #dreambigger

It was a great honor to be promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Virginia Army National Guard. The day was made even more special by the attendance of so many who have been an integral part of my support system, and to whom I remain thankful for their role in my achievements. I was privileged to have a mentor serve as my promoting officer. She gave me three points to consider as I assume the responsibility and challenges associated with leading at the O-6 level. 1. Your support system is invaluable. Continue to leverage that as a key strength and know when to ask for help. 2. Be careful with your words. As a senior leader, our words have greater power, and a casual remark can often be misinterpreted as a directive to take action. 3. Be judicious when leveraging your rank. Colonels can fix problems with a quick phone call, but that's not always the best way to solve a problem. It often robs subordinates of development opportunities. Instead help them learn how to navigate processes or solve problems on their own. I know I will refer to these three points often in the years ahead. How have you seen these ideas manifest in your own experiences? What else might you add to this list?