“The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
The case for an MBA
As you prepare your military transition you will find yourself asking the following question – do I have enough knowledge of the business world to make a successful career change?
As a military service member you understand the importance of ongoing education and training. No doubt you have completed throughout your career a number of courses in your branch of service. These have helped you develop your leadership, management, communication and technical skills.
The business world is no different. You will need to pick up new skills and knowledge as you enter the business world. The question to ask yourself is this – do I get a formal education in business or train myself?
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Look at every path closely and deliberately, than ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path a have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use.”
Carlos Castaneda
I read a great article in the January/February edition of the Atlantic magazine called “Why Our Best Officers Are Leaving.” It’s really thought provoking and I encourage all service members to read it. Here is a summary:
“Why are so many of the most talented officers now abandoning military life for the private sector? An exclusive survey of West Point graduates shows that its’ not just money. Increasingly, the military is creating a command structure that rewards conformism and ignores merit. As a result, it’s losing its vaunted ability to cultivate entrepreneurs in uniform. “
In full disclosure, I was one of the West Point graduates who participated in the survey (Class of ’91). I was keen to read the summary of the results. Kane’s article is really well written addressing what the military does well – producing entrepreneurs in uniform – and explaining how to solve one of the institution’s greatest problem – a personnel system that is nearly blind to merit.
Reading the article also got me thinking about the reasons service members leave the military. Kane’s research highlights ‘frustration with bureaucracy’ as a top response. What is your reason for leaving the military? Getting clear on your personal reason for leaving military service may be one of the most important aspects of a successful military transition.
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If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.
Jim Rohn
Happy New Year to everyone!
The Power of Goals
As we start the new year I want to kick off my blog content with a timely subject – goals. I’m sure most of you are very good at working with goals at work. We in the military (past and present members) are known for our ability to get things done. Setting goals is an important part of that process.
But how many of you have created goals for your military transition? Do you have them written down? Do you review your goals regularly and internalize the future outcomes? You need to take the same disciplined approach that you bring to work and leverage it for your personal goals. Why?
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