Posted on Dec 15, 2013
Has your military leadership training helped you or hurt you?
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It sounds like an odd question but has the leadership training you received (formal or OJT) been well-suited to your civilian career or have those skills caused problems for you in finding or keeping a job?
Posted in these groups: 
Retirement
Retirement
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 5
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<p>SFC Hester:</p><p><br></p><p>I was raised my Vietnam Veterans, and started enlisted in 1984, I was taught never trust your Officers.</p><p><br></p><p>I had to rewire my thinking when I crossed over Warrant Officer to Chaplain.</p><p><br></p><p>I was taught to take a stand and regardless do not give up your position.</p><p><br></p><p>In my thirty years of serving I have taken a stand and regardless of the storms of life I will not leave my post.</p><p><br></p><p>Adversity has shaped me and I am so thankful for those that have poured in me. I came up on big shoulders, and great Leaders honor those that have paved the way.</p>
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I would only say that I have only benefited from it. I have only became a better leader. I can say at different levels of military education I have learned from different aspects. You really can't compare the NCO system to the O side of education. I can say my world changed when I became commissioned. The real question is if civilian companies understand the value of the education we have received.
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SFC Stephen Hester
Good point. Civilian hiring managers often don't understand what we do in the military and sometimes see military leaders as hard and inflexible. We have to ensure that potential employers know what we can do for them.
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It has absolutely helped me. I'm not talking about the classes at Officer Basic Course or Command & General Staff College - I'm referring to the real life experiences I encountered simply because I was in a position of authority and responsibility while in the Army. I am indebted to the military for the opportunities afforded to me to learn (by mistakes as well) and become a better leader.
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A lot of it depends on your field. I started out as a Forward Observer. There is an expectation of being able to think on your feet and support the Infantry at a moments notice with a danger close call for fire. You recognize that training a FO is different than training an Infantryman. Squad drills and tactics are about being able to perform actions reflexively. The FO needs that additional layer where he has to be prepared, to more than reflex drills are needed.
When I changed to Military Intelligence as an Analyst, I had to realize that not only the mission, but the Soldiers I worked with required a different kind of leadership and mentorship to succeed at the mission. You can't train them to be reflexive and still expect a product that is worth a damn, but you still need to make them aware of the way the troops they support are led as well as the nature of the enemy that they collect on and analyze to determine the best way to intercept, interdict or destroy.
What I learned as an MI NCO and Officer do me better right now than what I learned as a FO, but having experienced both has really given me an advantage when interacting with civilians and students on campus as well as other employees and customers for the places I work. But I needed both experiences to make it work.
When I changed to Military Intelligence as an Analyst, I had to realize that not only the mission, but the Soldiers I worked with required a different kind of leadership and mentorship to succeed at the mission. You can't train them to be reflexive and still expect a product that is worth a damn, but you still need to make them aware of the way the troops they support are led as well as the nature of the enemy that they collect on and analyze to determine the best way to intercept, interdict or destroy.
What I learned as an MI NCO and Officer do me better right now than what I learned as a FO, but having experienced both has really given me an advantage when interacting with civilians and students on campus as well as other employees and customers for the places I work. But I needed both experiences to make it work.
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SFC Stephen Hester
I had a non-standard career path (Navy and Army) but the combination of experiences has been invaluable.
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CH (CPT) Heather Davis
SFC Hester:
Respectfully, how was the transition and what do you value from each service?
V/R
CH (CPT) Davis
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SFC Stephen Hester
The services are very different (for obvious reasons) and so the transition was difficult at times because of the need to learn another way of doing business. What made it easier was that I was already familiar with the staples of military life like standing duty, deployments, endless and repetitive training, hurry-up-and-wait...all the things that never seem to change regardless of the time period in which we serve.
What I value most from my time in the Navy is the time I spent on an attack submarine. I'll always value the lessons I learned there. From the Army I value the experience of leading Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those were both defining periods in my life.
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haven't tested those waters yet but i am confident I will be more then ready when the time comes.
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SFC Stephen Hester
I'm sure you will and there are a lot of retirees and veterans who are willing to help make that happen.
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