Down Range: A Transitioning Veteran's Career Guide to Life's Next Phase

Introduction: You Have Everything They Need

At long last, America has restarted her economic engine. Jobs are returning, revenues are growing, stock values are rising, but American business has moved past this century's first financial crisis only to face another—a crisis of leadership and values. When facing an asymmetric, constantly changing, networked marketplace, companies desperately need accountability, teamwork, and people with an ability to execute. In many ways, they need you!

Veterans have spent years—and often decades—learning how to execute as a team. We've operated under pressure, with limited information, in fluid combat scenarios. Our experience in the armed forces gave us an ability to adapt, while teaching us a process for planning and teamwork that leads to the pursuit of flawless execution. As we know, flawless execution is a pursuit, not a reality, and that mindset is what our business leaders are desperately seeking today. We may not yet possess industry vocabulary or a deep understanding of civilian business, but we have the skills modern companies need, and we can, with exceptional speed, learn to use them effectively in this new context.

Despite what too many military transition courses seem to tell us, we are not square pegs destined for a limited number of stereotyped roles. Too often, we're told we're stepping outside the wire, going into hostile territory. We must shed the fear and burden of that false mindset, and instead seize the boundless opportunity ...