Veterans Top Tags | September

Even as many schools begin in August, I consider September back to school month.?Children waiting for the bus, new drivers hesitantly trying to look cool as they head to high school, and college students gone from the neighborhood.

Years removed from school, it's important to keep learning.? If you use LinkedIn, you know there are many ways to do this – online classes, webinars, in-person training. I continue to find interesting insights, however, from unexpected sources.

In September, I watched the series, Winning Time – Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which told the story of the NBA’s Lakers from 1979 to 1984.?In watching their ups and downs, I was drawn to the leadership lessons that emerged.

Quick context:? Magic Johnson joined the team in 1979 and in Spring 1980, they won the NBA Championship, putting him on the path to stardom. Jack McKinney was hired as their Coach, but early in the 1979 season he was seriously hurt and replaced by Paul Westhead, who added Pat Riley as his assistant, poaching him his lowly position as a TV broadcaster.

The next season (1980/81) the Lakers performed badly, in part because Westhead changed their strategy, focusing on what he called “The System,” a full speed running and shooting strategy. Early in the 1981/82 season, the team is underperforming, players are struggling, and Westhead is fired.?Riley takes over, rights the ship, and leads them to the first of many championships.

As an NBA (and Celtic) fan, I enjoyed the show, but I was curious about Westhead’s thinking and how it turned out so badly.?Why didn’t he stick with an obvious winning formula??Why change??And why was he so stubborn in face of failure and pushback from his team?

To better understand, I read Westhead’s book – “The Speed Game: My Fast Times in Basketball.”?It described his side of this story and detailed his thinking behind The System.?He talked candidly about his career.?He got two more head coaching jobs in the NBA and two more in college.?In each, he stuck with The System and in each it didn’t work, and he was fired.

What did I learn??

My learnings focused on Westhead’s consistent inability to see his approach wasn’t working and make changes.? Instead, he doubled down, blamed the players, and refused to listen to others (to include his wife) who pointed this out.?

Big takeaway – how do leaders learn what they are doing isn’t working and then change and adapt??

Memo to self – do I have someone in my circle I would listen to if he/she was pointing this out?

I will think more about these questions as I wait for Pat Riley’s book to arrive so I can find out his perspective.

In addition to this, I also learned from reading informative posts on Veteran issues this month.?I divided my top posts into these categories.

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Back to School

As might be expected for this time of year, scholarship opportunities were a frequent topic.

ACT Now Education provided literally dozens of scholarships (with links) opportunities.

Even though you may use the GI Bill for college, some save it for more expensive graduate education (med or law school, for example).? Getting a scholarship for your Undergraduate education is one way to make that possible.

Anna Larson also provided a list of scholarships available for Army families.

The link in her post takes you to an article with a list of scholarships, eligibility, and more links.

I encourage others to post about the scholarships from the other services for their families.?? In the meantime, Go Army!?

Employment Opportunities

Lee Kirby shared an exciting opportunity to discover careers in the Data Center Industry.

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/leekirby-datacenterservices-veteransprograms_militarycommunity-virginia-activity-7104813621070753792-Jlol?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Lee points out that this is a growing industry with incredible opportunities for our community.? Of note – many jobs are remote.?? His post contains an article which describes the event, the networking session, and a Show Floor.

I am honored to join the panel discussion at this in-person event.? Also on the panel is Jack Tilley , a great Veteran Advocate. I look forward to finally meeting him in person.

pointed out opportunities at its upcoming hiring event at this month’s AUSA meeting.

His post contains a short testimonial video and all the details – date, time, location, etc.

Speaking of AUSA Daniel Collins, MBA, PMP invited everyone to an AUSA Networking Social on Monday, October 9th.??

Great opportunity to practice your networking skills!

Having a job doesn’t necessarily mean working for someone else.? Veterans make great entrepreneurs.?If you are interested in learning more, the IVMF posted about their upcoming conference for Veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs.

Follow the link to learn more, to include grant funding up to $10,000.

Transition Tips

HireMilitary posted a valuable article – 7 Common Mistakes Transitioning Service Members make on LinkedIn.

I thought all of the points were valuable but call your attention to Number 3 – Only connecting with people you know. Veterans want to help other Veterans; you just need to ask. #VHV.

Brendan Aronson continues to provide tips based on his and the experiences of others as they transitioned.

His post succinctly summarizes the puzzle pieces everyone deals with as they return to civilian life.

Marina ?? Rabinek, MPSA Provided a list of resources she used in her transition in this post.

She covers several important areas and also called out support for Special Operators.

Anna Larson reminded us of the importance of effective financial management as part of the transition.

She offered good tips on healthcare, insurance, taxes, and financial planning.? Special thanks for the shoutout for my book – Veteran Benefits for You – which continues to be an Amazon Best Seller.

Valuable Information from VA

Tyrone Hewitt posted about VA’s Homeless Stand Down Events.

He provided a description of what these are and, more importantly, a list of upcoming events with contact information to volunteer.? If you are looking for an opportunity to give back, consider spending a day helping our struggling buddies - #VHV.

Sharron Stewart M.Ed, CAPM?, CCM, EMC, PMEC, PM-LPC, SSGB posted about Women’s health information from VA.

In a comment, she provides a link to a pdf that contains the participant handbook from VA Women’s Health Reengagement Training.?It’s 130 plus pages of comprehensive information.?I recommend sharing her post and the pdf widely.?

Jason Strickland reposted a short video with answers to a couple of FAQs.

I was particularly interested in the answer they provided to “How do I appeal my healthcare decision?”? This question is one I get often and I was happy to see it addressed.?His post contains a link for more information. I suggest you leave your questions in a comment to his post and perhaps they will address them in future videos.

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Food for Thought

Elizabeth OBrien shared her reflections on the similarities between a great sports team and a corporate team in this post.

She shared six key features.?My favorite from her list is Accountability and I am glad she called that out. I hope Liz will extend her comparison of great sports team to teams in government organizations.

Related to these thoughts about a high-performing team, Alfredo ?? Torres reposted a frustrating hiring story from Sherri Carpineto .

Sherri’s experience demonstrates the need for companies to communicate with candidates truthfully and timely.?Companies would be wise to think more about their interactions with candidates. Sherri turned them down and then posted about it – not a good look for the company.

Alfredo pointed out that there are many great recruiters and tagged more than a dozen to help Veterans avoid this experience.

If we don’t show them, how will they know??

Cheri Mason invited DC-area professional women to volunteer at an upcoming Career & Leadership Summit for High School Girls hosted by Nerdy Girl Success?, Inc .?

The post invites Women with careers in Physical Therapy, Criminal Justice, Veterinary, Medicine, Military and Law to share their experiences.? My experience is often the difference between the folks who aim low and those who aim high is they just didn’t know what was possible.? Consider spending some time literally changing lives.

Seth Eisenberg pointed out a new way to strengthen interpersonal relationships.

Some problems Veterans face can be traced to broken relationships.? Cutting edge AI technology can improve communication skills, help clarify expectations, and demonstrate how to fight fair, and relieve stress.?These in turn, can be used to build stronger relationships.??

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Quick Takes

During September, I had interesting conversations with these Veteran thought leaders:

Steve Lepper and I spoke about the highlights from Association of Military Banks of America (AMBA) .

Fall Workshop.? I attended part of the event and was energized by their accomplishments and plans to continue to enhance Military and Veteran financial skills.

Jerry Quinn - At the same event, I caught up with Jerry Quinn who spoke to me about changes taking place in the military banking community to provide critical information and increase access.

Jonathan L. Due spoke about the focus on Military and Veteran students at William & Mary.

We discussed the challenges their students face and different approaches to address them.

Brian Niswander and I spoke about his new book “Networking for the Transition.”

Brian provided highlights and gave a brief summary of his other four Veteran-focused books, all of which are available at no-cost.? Check out Brian’s writings, which are based on research, not just a couple of anecdotes.

James Gfrerer provided highlights from the VA Health Summit. He spoke about new technologies and new approaches to addressing Veteran healthcare.? Healthcare vs sick care was explored at the end of our discussion.

Michael (Mike) Stoddard discussed the specific benefits a Veteran Service Officer can provide a Veteran when he/she files a disability compensation claim.

Training, focus, knowledge of state benefits, and specific assistance they can provide were described.??

Movie Review

Movies about business can provide transitioning service members additional insights about business operations, culture, and environment.?I thought t2his was particularly true when I saw the move Blackberry. A behind the curtain look at how the company rose and fell led me to post about business takeaways and suggested questions for interviewers to pose to learn more about a company.?

Never Forget

Like so many who posted about September 11, 2001 this month, I shared my thoughts in this post.

To me, not forgetting also means talking aloud and telling others about important events and people that define us.

Happy Halloween

If you’re like me and have a sweet tooth, perhaps you are wondering, with all the supply chain issues, are we going to have enough candy this year?

Kelly Barner explains that The Hershey Company has been working hard to ensure we get our sugar fix.?

Check out her Dail P for Procurement podcast to learn more.

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.