VetBiz Insights ?? 2023 Lessons Learned

As we wrap up an action packed ?? 2023, I think it’s important to reflect on lessons learned, ?? how we are simultaneously developing the organizations we work for, as well as professionally developing ourselves. I am a firm believer that if we don’t have something we are always striving for, we are destined to remain neutral ??.

Below ? are a few of the big picture ?? lessons that made an impact on me in 2023, and lessons I will continue to lean on moving forward into a fruitful 2024 for our community.

1. Teamwork: We are truly stronger together

Almost everyone would universally agree that teamwork is important to success. However, without defining what a true team approach is, it’s a lot of lip service at the end of the day. When I think of teamwork, I firmly believe that people fall under two main buckets in this spectrum.

Bucket A: I like the idea of teamwork when it’s convenient or benefits me.

With this mindset, I am not going to go out of my way to prop up my teammates, partner organizations, or those I collaborate with if it could potentially mean sharing the credit. While we use buzzwords like “fruitful collaborations”, if the end result is propping up a partner organization or individual to share the limelight, we may choose to not put our full capabilities into that effort.?

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Bucket B: A rising tide lifts all ships mentality ??.

To get to this type of mentality, it can quite frankly be a struggle. If you have ever been let down by someone not holding up their end of the bargain on an important project, not meeting a deadline, not putting in the same amount of effort that you feel you are pouring in, or simply not answering their phone/emails in a timely manner, it is a normal human reaction to feel burned by that experience. It takes a fundamental belief and trust in the people to turn that tide. A belief in others that if we all do the right thing and provide the most impactful services, we all will reap the rewards as a community.

?"The rising tide lifts all the boats." -John F. Kennedy

Admittedly, I have had my moments where I have caught myself being trapped in bucket #1. But over the past year a big focus of mine has been how we can do better together. Something as small as creating a LinkedIn post and encouraging others involved in an event to engage with the post so it is seen by all of our individual networks, can make a large impact. Life and business are all about give and take. I truly embrace the bucket #2 mentality, and know that in the long run, we will do far more together than we can do by staying head down in our own lanes.

2. Never forgetting the mission and who we serve

After a few years under my belt in the non-profit and community development space, nothing bothers me more than check the box training or events. What’s even worse, is that the groups that are often thrown into this check-the-box mess, are the underrepresented communities that need the help the most (such as veterans and military spouses). If the event or training isn’t meeting the needs of the community at the end of the day, what are we doing?

Personally, I am not in the business of spinning my wheels, doing the bare minimum, accepting the status quo, and collecting my paycheck. As non-profit and community development leaders, somewhere along the way, the mission seems to be lost. Maybe it’s just the veteran in me, but I fully believe in a mission comes first mentality. While that may mean sacrificing comfort in some instances, the juice is worth the squeeze when you can see the impact you truly make when you keep the community first.

At VetBiz , we are looking forward to a fruitful ?? 2024, and growing our mission to build strong veteran and military spouse owned businesses ??.

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