5 years beyond the Armed Forces. What I've learned.

December 2012, I was told I was going to be medically discharged from the job I loved. It was hearing loss, “pardon?” that one never gets old! As you can imagine this abrupt change in my life was a bit of a shock. July 2013, I was starting a new job on ‘Civvy Street’. Full of energy and enthusiasm I got stuck in, as I did almost 6 years before as an 18 year old boy joining the RAF.

5 years into my new career I feel like I’ve finally got a good grip of things. I’m genuinely happy and I feel incredibly grateful to be in this position. I have read some amazing articles about leaving the Armed Forces, including what to expect, and how to find a new job. I’m not going to write more on these topics, I haven’t seen much about continued success on ‘Civvy Street’, so I thought I’d share my learnings.

Defining happiness and personal success.

Since leaving the forces I’ve managed retail stores, been involved change activity planning for 2500+ retail stores, and am currently delivering leadership and developmental training for Stores and Distribution centres for over 650 managers.

Like all adventures, the road wasn’t always smooth, I hit dead ends and took wrong turns but here I am telling you I’m genuinely happy and feel like I’ve got a grip of things. This isn’t intended as a brag, or to show off. One of my biggest learnings was understanding what happiness, success, and satisfaction meant to me, as an individual. Once I had that figured out I could actually do something about achieving it.

Success will mean something different for everyone. It could be about how much money you are able to earn, promotions, how many people you manage, it could be having time with family, having the biggest possible impact or leaving a legacy, the list is endless. Of course there is no right or wrong but being in a position which doesn’t allow you to achieve what you want will feel wrong. It could feel like a lot of hard work for little reward, and everyone knows that’s no fun! 

If you start to feel like this after finding a job beyond the forces, I’d recommend taking some time to review what success looks like to you. For me this has changed over time, and I have found myself revisiting this on a number of occasions.

What will enable you to achieve your personal definition of success?

At times I felt like I was stuck on a roundabout. Going round in circles, not making any progress. I always knew I wanted to do well, but until I was able to define what success looked like to me, I couldn’t establish the direction I wanted to go in.

There were a number aspects to this, firstly I needed to understand what I was good at; not just what I thought I was good at but what others thought as well. Secondly, I needed to identify which roles utilised my skillset and thirdly, consider whether the roles I may excel in give me the opportunity to fulfil my definition of success. Finally, and most importantly, how do I go about getting myself into that position?

Making the most of what you’ve got!

What am I good at? For many this is not an easy question to answer. You may find it even harder to ask others the same question, but an honest answer in my experience will get you a long way.

Firstly remember the skills you displayed to secure your first role outside the Forces. There is no doubt the Armed Forces give you a vast range of skills. A report written by Deliotte in partnership with Forces in Mind Trust, the National Lottery and the Officers Association states, ‘Many of the skills veterans possess are in the areas many organisations are experiencing gaps’. (The report is a great read[i]). You won’t have forgotten these skills, so use them!

Beyond initial employment outside the Forces I found asking myself the following questions helpful. When was at my happiest and performing my best in the Forces? What skills was I using at the time? In my case I was involved with recruit training, I was happy and I had evidence of when I had done it well. Thankfully it was this experience which helped me get my foot in the door, and secure a role in my current team.

I wanted to involve the people who had hired me, and supported my career journey in writing this article. I was particularly interested in the aspects of my time in Forces which have continued to support my career. What I found was the things that landed me my first job in a business where also the things that gained me my most recent role.

My learning from this was that continuing to use the qualities enhanced or gained whilst serving, coupled with a clear direction and a desire to learn is equally as important if you wish to continue on a positive trajectory.

I have found being clear on what I was good at helped me avoid going down rabbit holes that offered short term benefits. For example a role with higher salary I could do, but maybe not in the sector I wanted to be in long term. I am in no doubt I would have only found myself in the same position a few months later.

What roles would benefit from my skill set?

Once I had a deeper understanding of what I was both good at and I enjoyed it was onto the next step. Where could I put my skills to use? Could I do more of it in my current role? Can I stay with my current organisation or do I need to move completely?

Displaying passion, and clear plan of how to implement a plan to improve your organisation, in my experience is enough to enable you to incorporate more of the stuff you are good at into your day job. This may be enough to give you the satisfaction you need. If not you may want to look beyond your current role.

Are the roles that fit my skill set going to offer what I want?

This may sound obvious, but just because you’d be good at a job doesn’t mean it’s the one for you. A job could offer a huge salary, suit your skill set but it could take you away from your family for weeks at a time, of course if family time is important, it may not be a sustainable role for you. It is a personal balance which will be different for everyone. I certainly don’t have an answer yet, but I’ve found considering it useful and has helped me avoid the pitfalls of seeking short term satisfaction.

Finding a role that offers reward that works for you.

If you’ve established a deeper understanding of your skills in an organisation beyond the forces, and pin-pointed a position which will offer the reward you require, the trick bit is getting yourself there!

Networking, Mentors and Coaching.

I want to make it clear, what I have written about in this article is certainly not just my own discoveries. More of a mix of different advice I have received, almost a NOW: that’s what I call leaving the forces – compilation album. Coaching and mentoring have contributed enormously to finding my satisfaction outside the forces. Without it I could not write this article.

If like myself you joined the Armed Forces after school, with limited work experience or have served for a substantial amount of time the ‘real world’ can be a scary place. Picture walking into an open plan office, how do you know who you should be talking to about a certain problem if they don’t wear a rank on there uniform, and don’t have their own office? For me the answer was talking to people and asking who I needed to talk to, understanding who could support my aims, and understanding how I fit into it all and how I could contribute. Or in other words networking.

Following networking, gaining mentors was the next step for me. Navigating a business can be challenging, so having someone who has already travelled the journey on-side is incredibly helpful.

Over 5 years I have found the rate of change absolutely staggering, both in terms of what I want to achieve and the tasks asked of me. With this in mind, continuing to seek mentors with relative experience can make a real difference. My advice is don’t be afraid to ask, there is nothing more rewarding than being asked to become a mentor. If you are lucky enough to be asked it’s clear to see the benefits for both parties.

Rise above the rest, words used by the RAF to inspire people to sign on the dotted line. Upon arrival to my training it was clear no one would ‘Rise above the rest’ if we didn’t work as a team. Others strengths would become my strengths and supporting each other became a way of life. Day 1 of any job, we may not initially know what is expected of us, so we have to learn. We join the military with pre-conceived ideas of the expectations, behaviours and challenges we may face. With time the reality becomes clear. Our instructors challenge us, question us, and guide us towards what we need to do to. On the outside, just like during recruit training you will not be the finished article on day 1. Take the time to find the people who are willing to support you in becoming the best you can be. Gaining a great coach will allow you to do this.

Personal resilience

Although I said I would not write about advice on leaving the Forces, I think it is important to refer back to securing your first role outside the Forces. For those who have found work outside the Forces, you have successfully undertaken significant change in your life. To give some perspective, the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale scores life events to give an indication of likelihood of falling ill.

These are a few items I picked out which could be associated with leaving the Forces.

Retirement (45), Change in financial state (38), Change to a different line of work (36), Change in responsibilities at work (29), Change in living conditions (25), Change in work hours or conditions (20), Change in residence (20), Change in recreation (19)

The above scores give a total of 232. This would place someone within the bracket of ‘You have a moderate to high chance of becoming ill in the near future.’ Within this in mind I think in is incredibly important to reflect on the challenge you may have faced when securing your first job beyond the Forces and what you did to achieve it.

The ability to cope with stressful situations, change and general discomfort in my opinion is one trait enhanced by time served in the Armed Forces. When I think about the frame work the forces provides it is no surprise we are a resilient bunch. I had a support network of like-minded people, exercise and the need to be fit was part of the job description, I was required to attend courses regularly and I was working towards a cause I believed in. If you compare this list to the NHS’s advice on maintaining good mental health, it ticks most of the boxes.

For me establishing a similar frame work to the one I had during my time in the RAF has played a massive factor in my own happiness both at work and at home. This is something I wish I had have realised earlier, but I’m so glad I eventually put 2 and 2 together!

Summary

The time I served in the Armed Forces were incredibly enjoyable. I also believe it set me up incredibly well for a successful career in the future. My initial transition was incredibly challenging. It required me to call upon the resilience gained from my time in the RAF. Over time I have found that I began to understand the challenges that ‘Civvy Street’ present, just like I did during my first few years in the forces.

The things I have found most useful in my 5 years in the ‘Real World’ have been gaining a true understanding of how I define success and happiness. This has made sure I have worked towards goals that I both enjoy and satisfy my aspirations. Establishing a support framework similar to the one I had in the Armed Forces has aided my resilience through and beyond my initial transition. Listening to feedback and understanding my skills helped me focus on an area in which I would excel. This has enabled me to establish where I fit into a business, and where I am best placed to deliver the most.

Continuing with the qualities and skills enhanced by the forces, and maintaining the personal integrity expected in the forces and being true to yourself will help you avoid the pitfalls of seeking short term success. Understanding your organisation, the people and the support it offers will help you navigate a successful journey.

If you are in doubt, don’t know where to turn, or feel stuck on that roundabout, ask for help. It is out there, in the form of mentors, coaches, Armed Forces charities and people who are willing to share their experiences with those in need. We all deserve to be happy and achieve our own definition of success.

I hope you have found this both helpful and insightful. I’d love to hear what you think, and if you have any other hints or tips for continued success after the Armed Forces.

[i] (https://www.officersassociation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/J10136_Veterans_work_brochure-web.pdf)