Veterans | Top Tags in February

“The Age of Aquarius”

Happy Birthday to those who joined me in celebrating a February Birthday | For those born before the 18th, our Zodiac sign is Aquarius

Early on, I thought this was special, even if other parts of my life were not.

In high school and college, I played sports, but I was never part of the “Jock” crowd. I had some interesting friends, but I was never part of the “Cool” crowd. In candid reflection, had there been a “Nerd” crowd back in the day, I probably would have been in that.

But I was an Aquarius and we had our own song – The Age of Aquarius by the 5th Dimension. For those who aren’t part of this elite group, learn more here. Interesting music was on my mind again when I clicked on Netflix ’s documentary – The Greatest Night in Pop.? It’s the story of recording “We are the World” in January 1985.

I found the story fascinating, but also saw a potentially powerful link for transitioning Veterans.

The story: In 1984 singer and activist Harry Belafonte is advocating for musicians to hold a concert to raise money for starving children in Ethiopia.? He was contacting his network and telling them “Something must be done.”? Lionel Richie jumped in and began to think this through.

The team realized getting a group of prominent musicians together would normally be impossible.? Then they saw that on January 28, 1985 many would be in Los Angeles for the American Musica Awards.? It was decided to record the song after the awards in a nearby studio working throughout the night.

Richie got Michael Jackson to write the song with him.? Realizing they needed an experienced producer to pull this off, Quincy Jones was enlisted to run the recording session.

Behind the scenes planning is explained.? Successful efforts to get major stars to participate who weren’t going the award ceremony (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Billy Joel) demonstrated the compelling nature of what they were trying to do.

The bulk of film, however, is an hour-by-hour breakdown of the recording session – from 11 pm to 8 am the next morning. Seeing musicians who are now old or have passed as their younger self was nostalgic and it was fun to see how they actually recorded the song.

Looking closer, the film isn’t just the story of making a record, but more a presentation of the delivery of a critical project, highlighting leadership, time management, getting a diverse team to work together, and dealing with setbacks.?This is why I thought it could aid transitioning Veterans.

Many Veterans report that interviewing for a civilian job can often be challenging when trying to explain what they have done.?Here is where referencing this film could prove helpful.

Leader of a team – If you were in a leadership position in service, it can be hard to describe to non-Veterans pulling the team together, planning, and then completing needed tasks. If your interviewer has seen the film, you could point out that your role was similar to that of Quincy Jones, guiding dozens of superstars to deliver the recording on-time.

Day to day management – if you were responsible for solving daily problems of the team working together, under time and budgetary constraints, your role was similar to that of Lionel Richie during the recording session.?He is seen talking to everyone, pushing them along, mixing voices to get the sound just right, and solving whatever problems emerged.

Collaborating and inspiring others – If your specialty was getting others to contribute to broader goals, you can point out your role was similar to that of Stevie Wonder.?When Bob Dylan was confused about how to sing his portion of the song, and threatened to delay the session, Wonder sat down at the piano and sang the part mimicking Dylan’s voice and mannerisms.?Dylan then sang his part flawlessly.

There are many other people you can identify in the film to serve as an example of your role and accomplishments.?Though musicians, they were very focused on getting it done. Not surprisingly, several got distracted and had to be dealt with (i.e., stop drinking and goofing off).

One final military to civilian transition parallel. Veterans often remember fondly the feeling of team they had in service, disappointed that other teams they are later a part of come up short.??

After the recording session was over, and everyone had departed, Diana Ross remained and was crying. Ritchie approached her and she remarked “I didn’t want this to be over.”?I’ve had more than few Veterans tell me this about their military service.

Top Tags

Thanks to the many creators who shared Veteran-focused content last month. My top tags are the following:

Getting Ahead Through Education

Vicki Johnson, PhD announced the new 2023 Directory of Fully Funding Graduate Programs in this post.

A link in the comments allows you to receive the Directory which lists more than 1K PhD and master's programs. Didn’t find anything of interest??Don’t forget that if you served after January 1, 2013, your GI Bill benefits don’t expire (that is, they last “forever”).? Many use this benefit for advanced degrees.?Either way, kudos to Vicki for pulling this together and sharing.

Andia Dinesen, AFC? announced the opening of applications for the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship.

Applications are due by April 15th and a link in the post takes you to the application.

Andia points out that getting this certificate changed her life and invites anyone with questions to contact her.?I have to think that an Accredited Financial Counselor #MilSpouse could make a huge difference for service members and Veterans. See the post, here.

ACT Now Education described the SMART Scholarship-for-Service-Program.

SMART offers scholarships for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students currently pursuing a degree in one of the 24 STEM disciplines. SMART scholars receive full tuition, annual stipends, and guaranteed employment with the DoD after graduation. The post contains a link to learn more and apply.

If you’re not a match, please share this with someone who is. Here’s one reason why: For the first time, the number of international patents filed from inventors in China?has surpassed applications from the U.S. If patent data is an indicator of science and technology prowess — and the economic and national security strength that come with it – we can use more SMART scholars.

2. Teach Someone to Fish…

David Trenholm put the word out for mentors and coaches to help with FourBlock ’s virtual training to equip service members, Veterans, and military spouses successfully transition to civilian careers.?They call these Career Readiness Coaches. His post contains a thorough description of specific responsibilities, expected deliverables, and a link to apply.? Looks like a great opportunity to help others by offering insights from your transition and professional career.

Lacey Langford, AFC? reposted

Matt J. Goren, PhD CFP? announcement that they are hiring a Senior Content Lead for Financial Planning Education.

This is a remote position and the brief description hits some key points – no office, no commute, flex PTO and full-time is no more than 40 hours.?There is a link to a longer description and an application.

This looks like an opportunity for a creative person to make financial information more accessible and better understood.

3. Resources

Cynthia Ellis, B.Soc.Sc. reminded us that the USO. The Transition Program offers support to active duty, Reserve, National Guard, and Military Spouses.

I was unaware of all the transition support USO provides but by following the link I quickly learned they focus on:

• Employment
• Education
• Financial readiness
• Mentorship
• Veteran benefits

It’s free and includes one-on-one support.

Dr. Regina Willis reminded us of the Resume and LinkedIn course offered by?

Katie Spinazzola and Jennifer Burks, PHR ?? in this post.

The courses are offered once a month. If you haven’t updated your resume or LinkedIn presence, you will find value in these courses.

Tim Best shared an informative presentation about the value of military service in this post.

It's 15 quick pages and you can download it as a PDF to review and share.? His four main attributes of military service are:

• Broad exposure
• Skill acquisition
• Leadership training?
• Unrivaled network

The first time through, I concluded the presentation is perfect to share with a young man in my church who is considering joining the military.?Upon further review, I realize it can also be helpful for transitioning Service members to inventory their assets as they look to share with a young man in my church who is considering joining the military.?Upon further review, I realize it can also be helpful for transitioning service members to inventory their assets as they look for a civilian job.

Is College Worth it?

Bruce Thompson, MBA pokes at this question in his post comparing Apprenticeships in the Trades to college.

His post is thoughtful and, judging from the comments, there was serious engagement on this topic.? It was good to see comments about family members who didn’t go to college and had meaningful jobs with good salaries. ? This is a good set up for the next Top Voice.

Jared Lyon , National President and CEO of Student Veterans of America candidly discussed his reasons for engaging on social media in this post.

In it, he invited questions about SVA and he got quite a few in the comments. Kudos to Jared for being a CEO unafraid to field unfiltered questions from his constituency. That said, I’d be curious how he feels about the value of a traditional, four-year degree versus pursuing a career in the trades for Student Veterans?

5. Quick Takes

Last month I talked to these Veteran Thought leaders as part of my Veterans Stand-Up series:

Michael (Mike) Stoddard provided advice for family members or buddies dealing with Veterans with PTS.

He offered suggestions on how to engage and listed the resources available from #WWP to support the Veteran.

Seth Eisenberg and I continued our conversation about the importance of Veterans having strong relationship with family or friends. He described how broken relationship often explain Veteran homelessness.

Importantly, he has developed an app called Yodi, available at no-cost, to learn skills to improve communication and conflict resolution. To date, there have been more than 180,000 downloads of Yodi.

Cheryl Mason continued our “Ask the Chairman” series.?She described how to introduce Lay Evidence into your claim for Veterans benefits.

She defined it, gave examples, and explained its value and impact. Based on the offline questions I received from her presentation, we may revisit this again in a future episode.

Kelly Barner and I talked about economic indicators for 2024.

She provided supply chain insights that hint at an economic slowdown this year.? She explained this thoughtfully, citing statistics demonstrating reduced traffic, which often indicates future problems.

James Gfrerer provided headlines from the last NVSBE event, held for the first time in person in four years.

He described the different sessions, engagement with decisionmakers, and the different?

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs programs – PACT Act, EHR, Supply Chain, etc. – that received attention.

Kevin Weaver, PCC describes the origin of The Warrior’s Journey, the non-profit he leads.

He described how they identified a gap in the services other Veteran-focused organizations provide. Further, he described what they do and don’t do, relying on partners to extend their support.?Their focus areas include PTS, isolation, moral injury, and transition.?I found his description of the amount of support they provide interesting and recommend we share this information with our buddies who could use their assistance.

Dennis Scott Farmer and I discussed substance abuse disorder among Veterans.

He took me through the numbers and the substances that are being abused.? His point about “not viewing it as problem” until is often too late is good advice if you are concerned about a buddy. His warning about marijuana and fentanyl is eye-opening.?

Brendan Aronson talked to me about how a Veteran can get a high-paying job.

He listed industries and roles that provide significant compensation.? He also offered advice about how to acquire needed training and how to customize your resume to focus on relevant results.? My favorite quote from our conversation – “Take credit for your accomplishments.”

Alfredo ?? Torres told me about his highlights from attending the recent Military Influencer Conference.

He observed an increase in the number of podcasts focused on mental health and a sizeable number of organizations offering support.? He also reported many Veteran entrepreneurs were there, soliciting ideas and funds.

6. Special Features

“I Wish I Said That”

A quote by Herb Kelleher, co-founder and CEO of Southwest Airlines, really nailed my thoughts on those who are prone to action. I’ve used this many times during teaching moments with teams as a way to encourage them to stop talking and start doing. It always works.?Admiration for Herb for being both clever and articulate!

Management Moment?

Do you wish you could do more, but don’t have the time?? One reason could be your reluctance to delegate some of your work to others.? I learned this lesson early and shared my experience in this essay.

For those who are skeptical, my experience, with very few exceptions, has been the upside from delegation far outweighs the negatives.

7. Listen and Learn

I had an engaging conversation with Tyler P. on his Straight to the Point podcast.

We discussed the importance sharing your benefits information with your family. We worked through an example that demonstrates what can happen if you don’t share versus sharing and planning in advance.

I also spoke with Tina Griffin on her podcast – The Counter Culture Mom Show.??

The title of the episode is: The Plethora of Benefits Available for Veterans and How to Submit Claims. As the name suggests, we worked through the top Veteran benefits, describing each and some of the steps and information needed to apply.

8. FAQ | VA Math

One of the questions I often get has to do with calculating your service connection when you have multiple injuries.?Because the computation is not straightforward, its often-called VA Math.?In this video, I explain it and provide a math example.

9. Glad you Asked - Filing for an Increase

Another question has to do with filing for an increase.?Veterans often wonder if they file for an increase, might their rating actually decrease.?I explain the possibilities in this video.

10. Last but not Least – High-Five to our Team!

Congrats to Herb Thompson for getting promoted. Also, kudos to ServiceNow for supporting Veterans.

Herb reminds us that our country and companies will be better when every Veteran and Military Spouse has a job.

Congrats to Donnell Johns Sr. and his company Veterans Growing America for being named 2024 Prince William County Business Partner of the Year.

Donnell is a great example of a Veteran Entrepreneur who is actively supporting other Veteran Entrepreneurs.? If you are in the DMV, I recommend a visit to his “store.”? I still remember the fantastic cookies I bought from one of the sponsored companies that was operated by a Veteran and spouse.

Paul Lawrence

I continue to believe LinkedIn provides the best platform for Veterans to get information and support to pursue their American Dream. If you don’t already, follow these voices.