By John Register
After six years as a Soldier and 10 years as a sports specialist and associate director in the Army, transitioning to a nonprofit was like stepping into a new environment.
I couldn’t understand why my performance appraisals were always three out of five, regardless of my efforts. One year, I landed a $15 million grant, and the next year, with average performance, I received the same evaluation.
I was attending a mastermind program for my professional speaking business. I told one of my colleagues about an encounter I had with Secretary Hillary Clinton. I was on an advisory committee appointed by then Secretary of State Colin Powell and served under Secretaries Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. Each of us introduced ourselves to Secretary Clinton, but she already knew who we were. I felt like an imposter among people with impressive accolades. When it was my turn, I caught her eye, banged my hand on the table, and said, “Madam Secretary, I’m a Razorback.”
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled. She banged her hand on the table and replied, “Well, John, we’re just going to have to call the hogs after this is over.”
We connected over our shared University of Arkansas affiliation. She then asked what I wanted to accomplish. I said, “I would like Paralympic athletes to be sports envoys like our Olympic counterparts.”
She asked her aide to note it. Mission accomplished.
In our mastermind meeting, Hilary Blair told me that I had executed a hijacking of power and status. I was confused.
“Power is static. It does not move unless taken by force,” said Blair. “Status is fluid. Just like a hockey puck, it can switch from person to person,” she continued. “Secretary Clinton had the power in the room, and everybody else was trying to elevate their status, but when you banged your hand on the table, you assumed the power. Then, very quickly, when she banged her hand back, she took the power back,” Blair concluded.
That was it. That’s also why I could not understand what was happening with my employer. People were fighting and positioning themselves to gain higher status to get closer to power.
This is the difference between the civilian corporate world and the military world. In the military, our promotions are structured. We attend school, earn promotion points and elevate our knowledge, skills and abilities to receive the next rank. In the civilian world, your knowledge, skills and abilities can be passed on, with someone else elevated over you and you becoming their trainer.
It is imperative to understand the rules of engagement for navigating the corporate structure.
Understand Your Value
You need to believe in yourself. No matter how long you have served, you have been in positions that many of your civilian counterparts have not. This is an asset. With this asset, you can be visible and lead from the front. Put yourself out there intentionally and purposefully with your civilian employer.
SALUTE
In the Army, we had a method to remember how to scout and bring back information on an opposing force to determine what type of attack might be required: the SALUTE report. SALUTE stands for Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time and Equipment the enemy had.
We can use the same type of SALUTE report when gaining intel on the corporate ladder we are trying to climb.
Size: Identify the size of the teams, departments or divisions within the organization. Understand the hierarchy and the number of employees at different levels.
Activity: Observe and document the activities and key projects undertaken by departments or leaders in the organization.
Location: Note the physical and organizational locations of key players and departments, e.g., office locations and the organizational structure.
Unit: Identify key terms, departments or business units and the roles within the organization.
Time: Understand the timeliness and deadlines for important projects, promotions and review cycles.
Equipment: Assess the resources, tools and technologies used within the company. It’s about mapping and implementing what we have done into the new corporate structure.
Had I taken the time to do a SALUTE report in the association I was working for, I might have had more success.
Find a Mentor
This might be a military or a civilian mentor. Talking to someone who has successfully navigated the route you are about to take will help you balance your perspective of where you might be in the corporate structure.
My friend and HR expert Kelley Hicks says, “Don’t limit who that mentor is. They need to match your energy and your interests and give you the energy to advance.
“You might need to know if this environment will tolerate the way you used to approach things from a military standpoint. The mentor can help you learn the protocols for that environment. Be open to learning,” she continued.
Lead From the Front
Find new ways to do things in the company. Be visible and lead from the front. Put yourself out there intentionally and purposefully. Believe in yourself.
Join an ERG/BRG: If your company has an employee or business resource group for military veterans, join it. Resources like these are invaluable in helping like-minded people move the organization’s mission forward. It’s the fastest way to get to the lay of the land and also identify other people like you who might have the same issues. At the end of the day, it helps the company perform better.
You have transitioned before. You just might not have thought about it in the context of climbing the corporate ladder. You entered a new environment every time you permanently changed stations (PCSd). Every time a new commander came in to take over your unit, you entered a new environment. Every time this happened, you learned the lay of the land and adapted. Climbing the corporate ladder is no different.
Power resides with you. You are in control of your destiny. Happy climbing.
John Register, a certified speaking professional, empowers business leaders to overcome corporate barriers and elevate performance. With his unparalleled experience as a Paralympic medalist and U.S. Army veteran, Register teaches how to sever limiting beliefs and elevate actionable strategies to secure victories in business. Book Register at johnregister.com for your Veterans Day Program to transform adversity into triumph.
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