From Basic Training to the Board Room

by Chuck Wooten, Command Chief Master Sergeant & C-Suite Executive

What a journey! It doesn't seem real that when I looked at the calendar, I noticed that tomorrow, July 19th marks the anniversary that I reported for Basic Training at Lackland AFB, Texas. What's even more surreal is the reality that I have been retired from active duty nearly as long as I was in uniform...that is a dose of realism that can shake the strongest person to their core. Wow, how time does fly!

As a child of the 70's and an Air Force brat, I had a unique perspective of military service. I literally grew up in the environment. I heard Reveille in the morning, The Star Spangled Banner in the evening and Taps at night. Moving often was the norm for my family and everyone I knew. We didn't think twice about it. In fact, in my personal experience, I never started a school year at a school and finished that year at the same school until I was in high school in Wiesbaden, Germany. This was Air Force life.

In late 1976 at the age of 17, while facing the daunting prospect of absorbing enormous debt to attend college, I did some serious soul-searching. Ultimately, I went against my desire to leave the safety and security of on-base life for the university party life and after high school in 1977, I enlisted for four years--in exchange for a paid-for degree, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. As it turned out, it was the best decision I could have made.

At the end of those four years, I re-applied to school but the only way I was going to make it work was to move back home. After a taste of travel and relative freedom, returning home was not an option that grew legs and I reenlisted...another decision that proved to be right. Suffice it to say, the rest of this story has a very happy ending.

But instead of giving you a blow-by-blow account of an incredibly blessed military career, I want to focus on a few things which I hope will encourage transitioning veterans and hiring civilians alike. The aim of this article is to prove a couple of things:

1. The more things change, the more they stay the same. At the time of my enlistment, Vietnam had only been over for 2 years. America had no appetite for the military and treated our vets as such. This was the environment when I began. Today, patriotism in America is (for the most part) prevalent and people are energized to salute military service. Back then, there were horrible biases and discrimination to those no longer serving...can I be so bold as to assert some of that exists today? Read on.
2. Hiring a veteran is one of the most prudent things a company can do. Airmen, Soldiers, Marines, and Sailors are citizens. They reflect me and you. Most are educated and have a work ethic that would put most civilians to shame. Trust me, it's true. They are the first to come in and the last to leave and no assignment is done half-assed. They add more tangible and intangible benefit to a company than can be adequately measured.

Let's back up a bit and begin with a little primer on Air Force hierarchy. In my career, as you might have noticed in the by line, I was blessed to be selected as the "top-of-the-top." What that means is, having reaching the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9 for those of you into pay grades), that is usually the pinnacle of an NCO's career...there is no E-10. It is also Congressionally capped to include no more than 1% of the entire enlisted force. A extremely select few ever achieve this milestone. Now, the position of Command Chief Master Sergeant is a whole 'nuther round of competition and the competition for these positions at the Wing (local Base), Numbered Air Force (functional grouping of several bases), or Major Command (the total collection of Numbered Air Forces and Wings within an operational command) is fierce. Among Chiefs, these are the "leaders leaders." The COOs of the organizations who report to the top commanders (CEOs) at each level. I was the Command Chief Master Sergeant of 19th Air Force (Numbered Air Force level).

After a career of being promoted "early and often," I realized that I had reached the point we learned about in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs of Self-Actualization. Essentially, there were no more stripes to be earned and only two positions (Major Command Chief and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force) were even available to compete. After a tour of extensive travel and being away from home, I felt no compelling reason to continue what had become a grind to my family and me personally. I retired quietly to seek new challenges in this thing called "Corporate America."

My first attempt as a job seeker was absolutely brutal. First, there were zero organizations to champion and facilitate veteran hiring. Second, as this was just pre-9/11 so there was no groundswell of patriotism or anyone "thanking me for my service." I bought two new suits, put together a resume as best I could and hit-the-bricks. What I learned very quickly is that no one was interested in my leadership experience, logistics credentials, or my bachelor's degree.

In a conversation I had with a recruiter, one that is indelibly etched in my brain, he said after a 5-minute conversation, "I hate to tell you this, but you don't have any real experience and you've essentially wasted 20 years of your life." I was stunned. The story is verbatim and true. That one, single sentence had me reeling and I wondered if he was right. The job search took six months and as each door slammed in my face, I grew angrier. I asked myself, "How could I be a highly-decorated, "Chief of the World" leading over 17,000 Airman, have a degree and 21 years of experience as an award-winning logistician and not be a welcomed addition to any company?" I was doubting my existence and felt like giving up.

The job search concluded with the acceptance of a tepid, degrading warehouse manager job in a filthy, dilapidated, non-airconditioned building in San Antonio's industrial area managing day laborers. I was thrilled to be offered anything by this point and needed to start earning again. Adding insult to injury in taking this job was that I was forced to accept a salary nearly $20K a year less than what I made in uniform...and if you know anything about the military, no one serves to get rich. We serve to answer our calling.

Taking that demeaning job was a "Mount Sinai" moment for me. I was forced into self-examination into nearly every facet of my life. No matter what I'd thought I'd become as a Chief, the reality of the world smothered that notion in short-order. The experience truly humbled me--in a most harsh way. I was forced to rethink myself, not to tear myself down or deny my accomplishments, but rather to truly know and understand that there was Someone who needed me to get beyond myself.

As it happened, I only stayed in that job for 90 days. I received an out-of-the-blue call from an Aerotek recruiter who asked to meet me for lunch that very day. I did and he'd set me up with an up-and-coming tech firm who's just won an Air Force contract but didn't have anyone on staff that "spoke the language." I was hired on-the-spot in less than 30 minutes with a salary $26K more than I made in uniform!

I learned the priceless lesson of humility and patience through all of this. From that point on, I can boldly say, without blinking that I received Divine intervention in each subsequent job or position. Some of this came in the form of being unexpectedly headhunted for international work, asked to develop and implement game-changing strategies, gigantic cash bonuses, promotions, and autonomy. While this sounds dreamy, I want to assure you it was not always. Along the way, I encountered resistance from many, jealousy, character assassination attempts, set-up to fail assignments and the like. At the risk of sounding preachy, I will emphatically state without reservation that by me not taking my eye of the Source of my success, I was never permitted to fail. I have (and still do) lived by the notion that if I'm knocked down 7 times, I'll get up 8.

So what does all this have to do with anything? Simply put, as an enterprise, America has come a long way since the dark ages of my beginnings, however, I will bluntly state some areas that still require a lot of work. Some of the work needs to be done by transitioning veterans and some by our corporate environment.

The fact is, and no one wants to hear this, discrimination (albeit subtle) against veterans still exists today. I know because I've experienced it first-hand. The quicker everyone grabs a hold of this, the easier it might become to move past it. In my civilian career as a senior executive and board member, even very recently, I continue to experience wrong assumptions and biases strictly attributed solely to my military service. It's true, really. I'll give you some real-life examples:

1. As "the military guy," I'm often prematurely judged as an autocrat--a "command and control" leader. Anyone that knows me, knows this is far from fact. What inexperienced "leaders" fail to understand is that all leadership is situational. There's a time and place for limiting a democratic discussion and just "getting it done." This, when done, does not an autocrat make.
2. Without reason, I've been characterized as a "drill sergeant," only because I served as a Senior Noncommissioned Officer...I must be a hard-ass, right? Again, faulty thinking and undeserved bias.
3. I had a conversation with a recruiter very, very recently who suggested I change some wording in my background that pointed directly to my military service because, "They might think you have PTSD." Another stunner! This was for no other reason than I served.

I mention these things because they are real and if at my level and career stage I'm experiencing them, one can safely assume I'm not alone.

Veterans, this part is for you: If you are transitioning or already in a job search, take your own initiative to set yourself apart from the herd. There are several ways to do this. Understand and accept the fact that the people you interact with here on LinkedIn, the recruiters you're fortunate enough to have a conversation with, HR pros, and hiring managers DO view you differently. It's your job to convince them that you're not a shell-shocked, "my way or the highway" grunt...not that there's anything wrong with that! :-). Take the same initiative that you learned to solve impossible tasks for impossible commanders. You KNOW how to do this. One last thing: Don't you EVER give up! I know I didn't really need to say that, but just as you are as human as everyone else, take it from a guy that's been tempted almost daily to throw in the towel...giving up is NOT an option for you. When you are rejected, and you will be, do as Jesus instructed His disciples and "Shake the dust off your feet and move on." When you're rejected, that is simply confirmation that you are being positioned somewhere else--somewhere better.

Recruiters, HR pros, and hiring managers, this part is for you: Please exert extraordinary strength in resisting the urge to prematurely judge a veteran as a particular "type." I believe you just may be astounded at what you uncover if you are willing to peel back a few layers of the person. The veteran you are dealing with is not perfect. One thing that can be said of us is that we ARE a direct reflection of American society. We came from your towns, cities, high schools, football teams, and Little Leagues. We ARE you. I know you have a tough job, heck if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right? You stepped up and took on this often times thankless job. If I may offer some unsolicited advice, you can help yourselves and your clients by appreciating what a veteran brings to the "fight" as opposed to the one, obscure piece of technical skill they haven't articulated on their resume. Be bold, make that phone call and you'll find that these people learned (in very short order) how to do some of the most technical and physically demanding jobs on the planet...they CAN learn your client's job, too. These people became, again in a very short time, real leaders--they know people. They are team-builders--their very existence depended on being able to trust the man or woman next to them in every situation. They are super-technicians--they repair multi-million dollar jets, they are electricians, logisticians, field coordinators, communications experts, satellite technicians, meteorologists--the list goes on and on. What I'm suggesting and I hope is resonating with you is simple: Please do not pre-judge a veteran--for any reason. They were good enough to defend your life, your client's company and your Nation...they can handle your job.

I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I've written today. I mention these things from personal experience. As I entered my own C-Suite job search, I knew what was lying ahead...tons of silence, even more rejection and a boatload of frustration. "The system" has not disappointed. Just as what I encountered upon retirement from active duty has seemingly come full-circle. Daily, I read the pontifications of "thought leaders," executive recruiters, etc. All have one thing in common, they know the six things it takes for you to land a job...or conversely, the six things that will kill your effort. The fact is this, and I say this with all the love in my heart, none of them really know. The "system" is no system at all. It's a bloody free-for-all. If the experts did know, there would be a repeatable blueprint we job seekers could follow and at the end of it, we'd have that ever-elusive "dream job."

Please make no mistake, my journey (to this point) has been a radically-blessed one. Somehow (you can decide what to believe), doors always open for me, a few people have taken an interest in my work, teams rallied around my leadership and success followed. Every. Single. Time. My trip from brand-new Airman to CEO and Board Member is filled with potholes and detours, but also with smooth, straight stretches that I'll forever cherish.

I want to leave you with this: If I can do it, so can you! Never take your eyes off the ball, do more than you're asked to do, take risks, make mistakes--and learn from them, and most importantly, love everyone. Finally, I want to impart to you what my Master Sergeant dad admonished me to do as we pulled up in front of the tiny airport terminal in Rapid City, South Dakota on July 19th, all those years ago: "Son," he said, "Don't ever feel guilty on payday."

Be blessed.