Its All Up to Us: Conquering Transition Challenges

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, its the illusion of knowledge ”    - Stephen Hawking

This is a topic that really gets me excited!  It is something close to my heart. I certainly cannot claim to know it all. However, I have made this journey, most people consider that to be a fairly successful one. I have shared my learnings, my mistakes and lessons with several military personnel undertaking this journey.  Many have found them useful and effective – so most humbly I would like to share my experience and learnings on what are the major challenges that one encounters on one’s journey from the Military to the Corporate/ Civil (M2C).

Leaving the military is an important decision and a big one at that. It is perhaps as important if not more important than your decision to join the military. In most cases we were very young, uninitiated and naïve when we joined the service. Consequently most of us  are unprepared for the military service. However, what is even sadder is that most military personnel quit service to start a civilian career quite unprepared. While being unprepared at the beginning of the military service maybe pardonable considering one’s young age that excuse is no longer valid while leaving service. The good news is that it does not have to be this way This theme article is a humble effort in that direction. 

This article would be mostly applicable to the short service (SS) officers who are leaving after 5-10-14 years of military service or the Pre Mature Retirement  officers (PMR) who typically quit after 20 years of service. Some of the lessons may also be applicable to officers superannuating after their full military service.

To Quit or Not to Quit ?

This is like the quintessential Shakespearean question as asked  in Hamlet “To be or Not to be?”

To be or Not to be

Hamlet portrayed by Edwin Booth 

To me, this is the first obstacle in the Transition obstacle course. However, this is the most important one, but most people do not realize that. The Why behind the decision needs to be crystal clear. However, sadly, in most cases this is not the case. Most people base their decision on herd mentality. Let me give you some examples:

• “My coursemate who was overlooked for Colonel quit and is earning a CTC of 70 Lakhs pa, I am a select rank Colonel many overlooked officers who quit are doing very well I obviously can do better than them.”

• “I have missed my promotion board. “

• “I did not get the permanent commission”

This is an absolute slippery slope.  What I have quoted above are almost verbatim answers that I get when serving officers call me to seek advice. The answers I would rather  like to hear are something like:

• I feel my full talent is underutilized here. I can do more.

• I am aware of the great opportunity unfolding in XX sector (technology, renewable energy, quick commerce, etc) I want to be part of that action.

• I understand myself well and also understand what the civil world needs. I am confident that I can deliver value.

• I feel trapped – I want to fly, fly high.

• I can’t wait to fly – I feel that I am alive – as Celine Dion would like to put it.
  

I can’t wait to Fly

  Courtesy – Celine Dion video I am Alive

So, my humble advice to all those aspiring for a civilian career. Quit for the right reasons. This is obstacle number 1. If you get this right, you are already halfway through in my assessment.

Don’t Know What to Do?

Ask any transitioning military officer as to what is it that he or she exactly wants to do? Nine times out of ten the answer you would get is “Anything”. To a civilian recruiter this answer would elicit a response that this candidate lacks “focus”. However, this demands a deeper understanding of the military culture and a nuanced understanding of the military psyche. The answer from the military person comes from a high degree of respect for the organization – which is instilled in him or her in the service ethic of “Service Before Self”.  Secondly, what needs to be understood by the civilian recruiters is the fact that the concept of choice is alien to military personnel. They have never been given a choice in their entire service career whether it was regarding their choice of arms/ services, postings, courses, etc. Now at the fag end of their military career if  they are suddenly being asked to exercise choice- that becomes difficult for most. It is a no longer a simple decision making matter, it is a psychological problem now! They are overwhelmed by the multitude of professions on offer and deficit of adequate understanding of them in order to make an informed choice. They need help to make this decision and this help is neither forthcoming and neither are they in contact with the right people who can help them make this decision.

There are several ways to make this decision. One way could be by the process of elimination. I mostly ask such people do you know as to what you absolutely do NOT wish to do. Make a negative list and then using a process of elimination reach a conclusion. Another method is to undertake a Psychometric test. Here again, the skills of the psychometric counsellor matters a lot.  In most cases the psychometric counsellors lack an understanding of the military career and adequate industry knowledge of various professions in the marketplace so as to correctly advise these people. Also, the psychometric report in most cases gives a pretty wide array of professional choices that does NOT help them shortlist a clear and precise career choice. 

Don’t know what to do ?

Courtesy: Unsplash marianne bos-

This is the second major obstacle. If this is not correctly negotiated then it could lead to the military persons making the  wrong career choices.  A career advisor must be able to help a candidate arrive at the choice of the suitable industry, role, 4-7 target companies and the skills matrix required for these roles. 

Understanding the Concept of Value Creation

This is another major stumbling block. When you know that you don’t know you can address the issue by taking suitable actions to fill that gap. However, when you do not know that that you do not know you are in deep trouble. This is what we call a blind spot.  This is exactly where most transitioning military personnel are. Unless you know this, you cannot take the next step know what you don’t know which is a necessary precursor to then filling that gap. 

Most veterans are clueless about several verticals and roles in the industry like marketing & sales, product management, Design, UX/UI, Digital supply chain management, Compliances, Finance, risk management, latest cutting-edge technologies, industrial relations and more.

Secondly, there is a mindset issue that generally plagues many government employees. They generally look for free things and are mostly reluctant to pay for any training, upskilling, advice, counselling, etc as they are not used to the concept of value exchange. This results in a large number of military personnel not investing seriously in upskilling, advice, consulting  for their second careers. They largely like to stick to the DGR 24 weeks management course only. This has a telling effect on their preparation and take s a toll downstream in their second career.

This deficit is further compounded by the lack of understanding of the value chain of an industry. This is important to understand for as an employee/ an entrepreneur in an industry you must exactly know as to where exactly can you add value and in what form or manner. This is easier said than done. This requires mentorship and guidance from an industry veteran. This piece cannot be handled by the psychometric tests counsellors alone. They need help from practicing industry professionals.

Psychological Mindset Shift

This is the real elephant in the room that no one is talking about. The military system and the corporate system are entirely different systems.  Some of the highlights of the differences are as below:

• One is a values driven culture while the other is a bottom line driven system.

• One is largely process driven while the other one is outcome driven.

• One greatly encourages generalist a while the other places a premium on specialists.

• Salary based on rank/ seniority vs salary based on value addition/ contribution 

• The Job description and share of responsibilities in the military is mostly well laid out. In the corporate it maybe fuzzy.

While the military does an excellent job of training you for your role in the military  including  at a psychological level when it comes to doing the same in the civilian domain you are on your own.  The problem gets worse because while leaving the military you are made to believe that you are “good to go and conquer the world”. This may not exactly be true.

This obstacle ie the psychological shift is mostly overlooked, in fact ,it is unknown to most military personnel. I feel it is a long drawn out process. If I speak for myself, I feel that my psychological shift is still work in progress even after a 16 year corporate career. The importance of this shift cannot be under-estimated.

Lack of a Mentor

This is the last of the major obstacles that I wish to share however this is not an insignificant obstacle.  A mentor can help you shorten your pathway to success. In the military there is a concept of a senior subaltern in the army. This is similar to that. The problem in choosing a mentor is that the people who are best suited to be your mentors are themselves working in the industry. They are largely busy in their jobs or professions with little time to spare for mentoring others. The other option could be choosing those veterans as mentors who have retired after a successful stint in the industry. However, with the fast pace of technology and obsolescence this could render those retired long time ago as less useful.  While this is a tricky part, my advice for transitioning military personnel choose a mentor who has been in his past where you want to be in your future. 

 A Mentor shortens your path to success

Source: Unsplash  krakenimages 

What Has Forces Network Done in This Regard?

Well, we at the Forces Network have made a humble contribution towards this endeavour. Forces Network pioneered the concept of Military to Corporate (M2C) Transition Workshops in India. We have been running these Workshops for several years now. The below figure shows the details of these Workshops. These workshops used to be a physical event typically a 1 day workshop. However, in the covid era we pivoted to an online delivery model and conducted several of these workshops online.

M2C Transition Workshops Conducted by the Forces Network

In addition, we also ran a transformational program called ABCT- Any Body Can Tech.

Under this program we took the transitioning officers from a complete non-tech background to an industry recognized technology certification level. We ran three courses under the ABCT banner. Several participants got certified by appearing in external exams conducted by the certifying organizations like Microsoft, etc. Many officers from non-tech background went on to make a corporate career in the technology world.

ABCT – Any Body Can Tech the most popular course of Forces Network

Conclusion

Despite these obstacles, transitioning military personnel possess a unique advantage: their military work ethic. These people  are disciplined, adaptable, and resilient, qualities that are highly needed & valued in the corporate world. The same determination and perseverance that enabled them to excel in the military can be applied to overcoming challenges in their civilian careers.

While the transition from military service to a civilian career may present obstacles, they are not insurmountable. With determination, adaptability, and a willingness to learn, veterans can overcome these challenges and achieve success in their chosen or aspired civilian endeavours. The military has already equipped them with the skills and mindset needed to conquer any obstacle that comes their way. 

In my opinion the veterans must dream big!

No dream is too big provided it is followed up with planning, preparation and relentless zeal. Regardless of the dream they pursue, whether it's climbing the corporate ladder or starting their own business, veterans have the potential to achieve it all. 

They must however be ready to seize the opportunities, put in the hard toil  and make their aspirations a reality.

After all. – Its All Upto Us!

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About the Author

Lt Col Iqbal Singh (retd) was commissioned into 4 GARH RIF in Dec 1987. He has seen active service in Sri Lanka, Punjab, J&K and Nagaland. He is also an alumunus of the prestigious DSSC, Wellington. He took premature retirement from the Army in 2008 with an ambition to make a career in the technology industry. He has worked with Satyam Computers at Hyderabad and Nokia at Noida. Currently he is working with Google based at Gurgaon. Iqbal is the Founder of Forces Network and is extremely passionate about veterans civilian employment. He feels that veterans can be extremely successful in their second careers provided they are focussed, prepare and  are ready for the grind.He has mentored advised and guided hundreds of officers in their transition from the military to the civilian world. He was the force behind creating courses like the  M2C Transition Workshops and the ABCT in the Forces Network.

Any feedback to this article can be emailed to him at iqchucks@gmail.com