If you started a new job with a retired 0-6 as your regional manager, how would you handle being embarrassed in front of them?

First and foremost, forget the military ranks. That was in another life and in another time. Put it out of your head entirely. I know it's tough but you have to change mental gears to fit your new reality.

Now focus on your corporate management structure. What influence and management authority does the Regional Manager have over your position. Is he your direct report, two tiers up, lateral, etc? If he is not in your direct reporting chain then forget him. Focus on those individuals who do impact your position. Have you met with your direct report manager to discuss the audit? Use the audit to your advantage to justify the training you need and to leverage your manager's support for getting you that training. If your direct report is the Regional Manager then he has no ground to stand on, other than to get you the training you need (as he is the one who highlighted the problem).

Document your meeting with a professional and polite follow up email that recaps your conversation and discussion and reiterates the audit stating that you needed Training X-Y-Z. Turn the audit to your advantage and get the training and support you need.

Remember, he was a Colonel. You were a Sergeant. Now you are both corporate cogs. Just make sure you understand how the gears in your corporation turn, and which other cogs you come into contact with to make the corporate machine work.

Best of luck and good hunting!!

Not really enough information here to provide a detailed answer. In the private sector, the retired or reserve rank of a person is not relevant. You need to put your rank on the shelf with your other memorabilia from your time in the Marine Corps. I hope the colonel has done likewise.

You now need to focus in your private sector job. Analyze the situation (failed audit) and take action to correct the problem (get trained). A good auditor will provide comments on how to fix each problem they discover. Review these recommendations and develop a plan to implement them in your work area. Discuss with your supervisor. If your supervisor isn't the colonel in question, then let your supervisor deal with the corporate higher-ups. If the supervisor is the colonel, he should be glad you're taking the whole audit thing seriously and proposed solutions.

Another thing in the private sector is profit motive. I'm guessing you aren't responsible for profit/loss yet. The retried colonel might be. Be sure your plan to correct audit deficiencies keeps customer relations in mind and helps control costs.

Taking positive steps to correct the problem is more likely than any other course to keep you employed and help the company in the long run.

It's hard to give advice without the details of your situation, and what getting thrown under the bus actually means in your situation, how long you are in the job, what your job is, etc. but in a general sense, it sounds sort of like the situation when an officer takes command of a company, and a week later gets an IG inspection. While the new commander takes the hit, everyone realizes that he could do little to affect the results.

But it does give him a great opportunity to develop a plan to fix the deficiencies and look like a superstar later. So if your position was responsible for poor audit results, own it. Don't make excuses, just come up with a great plan to fix things. Keep your discussions focused not on what went wrong, but rather how they will get better. And if that plan needs to include additional training for you, put that in the plan. But don't stress the point that you weren't properly trained for your position. Because that could come across as why did we hire an unqualified person for this position. So absorb the hit without a bunch of "yeah, but..., excuses. Just fix the problems.

so - you got audited and failed the audit after one week on the job, stuff happens, take a copy of the audit report, go to your 1st line leader, not with complaints, but with solutions - do a little research into what the standard is to pass the audit, research what training is required, and ask when the next available training will be available - and remember - you are not in the military anymore, rank is irrelevant, you will have to be more proactive in meeting the requirements of the position you hold, your supervisers are not going to hold your hand and realize that if someone can pass responsibility off to you when something is wrong, they absolutely will. Civilian employment is not like the military, most of your co workers are in it for themselves and in this day and age of its never my fault, always someone elses,fault - you need to protect yourself - document any and all meetings.

Take it up the chain that you were thrown under the bus and audited in a department without the proper training required. You're out, the Colonel is out. Start making a stink about it and throw other people under the bus.

I would do the same thing I would do if my auditor wasn't former military. First of all, when going into a new job it's important to meet with your manager and get clear expectations and what is considered "successful performance" by him/her. Often we don't think to do this (I haven't always). If you didn't, I would go to my manager for a meeting, lay out exactly what I had done since arriving at my new job, and tell him/her what your expectations were based on his/her guidance with no training. Then I would ask my manager: "I want to learn from this, so please tell me what I should have done differently, so this won't happen again with an auditor." Then just listen, without being defensive. The manager may acknowledge their part in the mess, promise to get you training, and not hold it against you. Or your manager could decide to keep the blame on you. In that last instance, you have gotten a clear message: This manager is not someone you want to work for (it will happen over and over), and you can start looking for another job.

So many great reaponses.

I agree:
- own the audit result and be grateful for it this early in your tenure
- recognize that "teamwork" is different in many company cultures than in the military
- your richer understanding of real teamwork is a benefit to the team
- consider how you can build with your peers a truer sense of teamwork
- this is an opportunity fir you to lead, equip, and transform the culture of what sounds to be a dysfunctional team environment

So cool of you to reach out to the RP community.

His retired rank means nothing, but his current job does. If he is in a position to oversee your function, so be it. When I took over a job as P&L manager of a small business unit, the first thing I did was request an audit. I wanted the decks cleared before I accepted responsibility for my predecessor's incompetent actions. Best thing to do is accept the criticism, and tell your immediate senior, (hate the word superior in these instances) where you stand and have a plan on how to remedy any issues. You will always lose if you buck "city hall".

To preface this, the Colonel said I was fine. No big issues to fix. The staff were more than ready to say I f'd up. I was literally appalled by my "co-workers"

Sgt William Biggs My Father was a Marine Sgt and a Contract Bank Auditor for Car Lots, You Will Do What I Expect, Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off and Go "Next". I served with Marines, Onry Bastards from the Younger Lads that I Put thru the Ringers in Riot Control Training, To My ADP Chief in Adak (A Marine) to My Basic Typing Instructor (Mean Obnoxious Marine Gunny). I Know You are Full of Spit and Meanness and are Pissed Off Right Now but You Will Overcome!