Life Lessons from the Military (With A Bubblehead Twist)

Among my favorite things about LinkedIn are the strong veteran communities where committed folks help military personnel and spouses making the transition from military to civilian life. Often transitioning military personnel don't fully appreciate how much what they did and learned in the military translates to the civilian workplace and to life in general. Certainly, many employers do not fully appreciate it either. A recent LinkedIn thread on this topic caused me to reflect on the lasting lessons that I learned during my time as an enlisted technician on the submarine USS James K. Polk. Sharing some of the ones that came first to mind here.

When there’s work to be done, show up, be present, be visible, and find how you can add the most value.?Few things left a worse impression than those folks who always had something “important” to do when we were loading stores.?Loading stores was and I’m sure still is, hard work.?People knew who was front and center and doing the heavy lifting and they remember it.?I was compact, nimble, and strong, so I most often found myself in the hatch as the middle man passing stuff from above to below decks.?I wanted to be in the hatch and not the guy getting the side-eye glances for not being there.

Stand your own watch and show up on time for it.?This breaks down to own your job and don’t let someone else do it for you.?I’m not sure where this was instilled in me, but it was certainly honed and reinforced in the Navy as I had great role models to emulate.?Whether work or sports, I never wanted anyone to outwork me or take up my slack – There is no shame in being outperformed, but there is no excuse for being outworked.?The respect of my Navy colleagues was too important to slack.

When it’s broke, there is no time clock – help fix it.?As and Electronics Technician, we had to fix things when they broke.?Again, I was fortunate to have great role models and mentors who would not rest until the equipment was fixed.?It was not unusual for them to go 24 -36 hours troubleshooting and trying various solutions.?I stayed with them and learned from them – sometimes running coffee was my most valuable contribution….time passed and it became me and others working with me and learning from me.?This has served me well over the years working on proposals among other things.???

Pick your battles/Focus on things that really matter/Don’t be a rebel just to be a rebel.??Up until I was trying hard to make E6, I pushed the haircut limits and was consistently walking a thin line that brought scrutiny and side glances.?My Senior Chief noted in a performance appraisal that “Petty Officer Duffer’s grooming is consistent with the standards of the “new Navy”.?This was brilliant damning with faint praise!?At some point, I started getting my hair cut very tight and took the discussion off the table.?I was a model sailor (in appearance anyway) and it was like a load was lifted.?My life got easier and people could not discount me or my opinions as easily.?Don’t damage your credibility for stupid stuff…(like false vanity for example – I never got a date because my hair was ? in longer than my colleague – and all of us had hair about 5” shorter than our civilian peers, so it was doubly dumb).?I revisit this one often as I choose the battles I want to take on.

Figure out how work really gets done and who does it (or never piss off the cooks or the A-Gangers/Engineers).?In submarine life, there are few things more important than food and submarine qualification.?I learned early that making friends with the cook and mess staff can get you all kinds of simple perks.?I also learned that the Auxiliary Gang/Engineers were the most important folks on the Boat when it came to supporting basic submarine qualifications – they could make life hard or easy and believe me, easy was better.?I was lucky to make A-Gang and Engineering friends early on and they taught me a helluva’ lot – on the boat and on liberty.?Every job has Cooks and A-Gangers…know them and embrace them.

Most often, the Difference Between a Crappy Job and a Great Job is Attitude.?When I was in Boot Camp, my platoon leader and I did not get along well and when it came time for service week, he thought he was screwing me by sending me to mow lawns.?Little did he know I thought that was the best job he could’ve assigned me.?I got to do cardio in the sun all day long.?When I got to a submarine, we had rotating jobs like compacting trash and doing laundry for everyone.??I saw some folks absolutely miserable doing these jobs and I saw others having a blast – I moved towards the latter and wound up enjoying the peace of laundry and the messy perfection required to mash trash without fouling the compactor – it did take some skill!??

You learn a lot about someone at the coffee pot.?One of the lasting unwritten rules of the Navy that I am sure persists today is, if you empty a coffee pot, make another pot…Believe me, you can tell a lot about someone by the pains they will go thru to avoid taking that last drop just so they don’t have to make a fresh pot…If it’s close, make a damn pot of coffee!?

Everyone has a story that goes beyond their rank/rate/background.?The military is a wonderfully diverse culture and everyone has a story that transcends the uniform.?Standing watch with folks for long periods of time gives you the opportunity to dive deep on a whole lotta’ stuff that gives you a glimpse of the person inside the uniform.?Those stories are worth hearing yesterday, today, and tomorrow because they reinforce not only our uniqueness, but critically, our common values and similarities.?Find time hear the stories and share yours.?

If you do your job/carry your weight and treat people with respect, no one really cares where you’re from or who you voted for.??#Truth

Last but not least…Never get in a bar fight when drunk.?If you ever have to get into a bar fight…it’s much better if the other guy is the drunk one ??