Don’t Let Fear Keep You in the Green Zone: A Veteran’s Insights on How to Be Brave in Business

After almost 20 years of proudly serving our country, including several active duty tours, Veterans Day brings back many memories. Looking back on my experience, I’ve learned many lessons that I now leverage in the civilian world to develop strategies to help my clients win the battles they face.

 In honor of Veteran’s Day, myself, as well as several colleagues at Alvarez and Marsal who are also veterans, are sharing some of the insights we have gained through serving our country.

It was 2008 when I got the phone call. I had served six years of active duty and had just switched to the Navy Reserve. Now, they were sending me to Baghdad for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Assigned to be an Economic Action Officer, my job was to work with the Embassy to help coordinate military efforts with other federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who were brought in to help rebuild the country.

Working with an Ambassador, I lived in what was known as “the green zone,” considered one of the safest places to be. High walls surrounded the area and armed-guards patrolled day and night. With the exception of an occasional bomb being lobbed over the walls, life in the green zone was not too bad. 

Then one day, one of my colleagues fell ill, and I was asked to volunteer to go beyond these walls of safety into the “red zone”. I was to take government officials on a tour to see Iraqis who had been displaced by war. This visibility was key to securing funding to help these people. I wanted to help. I volunteered, but then felt fear creep in. In the red zone, anything could happen. Car bombs, IEDs, or suicide bombers could be around any corner.

It didn’t take me long to realize that being paralyzed by fear was not going to help. I had to push fear aside and tackle the task at hand. I researched ways to make the trip as safe and efficient as possible, from lining up Humvees for transport to reading up on the political history of the displaced people. This preparation made me feel better, however, what made the difference more than anything was the simple decision to choose to focus on what I could control and let go of the fear of things that I could not. In the end, I served an important role that was key to securing funds for these people in need, and I was awarded a Meritorious Honor Award from the State Department for my actions.

Everyday in the business world people stay in the green zone, choosing the “safe” option. But, in order to grow professionally and personally, you have to face your fears and go into the unknown. This doesn’t mean you have to go in defenseless. When one of the junior consultants I mentor wanted to transition from an analysis to a leadership role, I created a plan that would allow him to lead calls with clients under my supervision. This provided a more supportive environment for his development. I helped him game plan the calls, provided a breakdown of who would be on each call, and gave him clear expectations of what we needed to accomplish.  We conducted short debriefs after each call to discuss where he succeeded as well as clearly list improvement areas for future calls. After that project, he began confidently leading team meetings instead of being an individual analyst. Don’t be afraid to ask for a little security when you cross into the red zone.

We each have our own red zone. An area where we feel vulnerable. From physical war zones to assuming leadership roles or public speaking—we all have something that scares us. But if there is one thing I have learned from the military, in order to do something great, you must leave your comfort zone. There may be a bomb scare here and there, but if you are not willing to take calculated risks, you will not reap the reward. Those who are fearful are often victims of circumstance even more so than those who are brave. Their fear causes them to fall short of their own potential. And, that itself is a great loss. 

Carter Reue is a Manager at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) and is a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Through A&M, he helps Fortune 500 companies drive profitable growth through performance improvement.