Today we welcome to the BRAND New You show Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Stoner from the Unites States Army.
Lieutenant Colonel Stoner started his military career as an enlisted soldier at the age of 17.
Since that time he has held various positions of increasing responsibility including serving in the 82nd airborne, the Army Rangers and the Army Special Forces.
At every level, Lieutenant Colonel Stoner has held leadership positions including his last position as a Special Forces Battalion Commander.
In this role, he was responsible for 500+ special forces personnel as well as an 1100 person special operations task force.
After 28 years of active military service, Lieutenant Colonel Stoner is currently in transition and preparing not only for his retirement from the United States Army but also for his transition to the civilian workforce as well.
Recommended books for the show
Tommy is currently reading a book written by General Stanley McChrystal called:
Team of Teams (Affiliate link)
Summary – In this powerful book, McChrystal and his colleagues show how the challenges they faced in Iraq can be relevant to countless businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations.
The world is changing faster than ever, and the smartest response for those in charge is to give small groups the freedom to experiment while driving everyone to share what they learn across the entire organization.
As the authors argue through compelling examples, the team of teams strategy has worked everywhere from hospital emergency rooms to NASA. It has the potential to transform organizations large and small.
CHALLENGES & PERCEPTIONS TO OVERCOME
Tommy and I spend time discussing the unique challenges that military personnel face when making the transition to the civilian workforce.
We also talk about the misconceptions that civilian employers often have when it comes to hiring someone out of the Military.
One of the biggest misconceptions from civilian employers is military personnel just follow orders. This is so far from the truth it’s almost embarrassing to even write it down but it’s a reality that our men and women in the service face when they come back to civilian life.
Tommy’s biggest concern is making sure he is branding himself properly for the civilian workforce and knowing how to translate his military experiences into something a civilian employer can understand.
Tommy tells several success stories of fellow soldiers making the transition as well as one that will make you scratch your head. Or at least, did for me.
The military offers a transition assistance program (TAP) to all military personnel. While each branch of service has their own spin on TAP, all of them are design to provide job assistance and separation counseling services for soldiers and their families during the transition away from active service.
TAP a mandatory five-day program that covers various topics such as:
1 – Resume writing
2 – Social Media
3 – Branding yourself
4 – LinkedIn profiles
In addition, they also offer coaching and mentoring programs, civilian credential programs and Job conferences.
“WHAT DO I WANT TO DO NEXT?”
In addition to TAP, Tommy is actively working on building his knowledge base to help with his transition.
Tommy discusses the amount of time and his process for deciding what he wants to do next and the activities he is engaged in to help him find his next career. Top on his list are:
1 – Networking: Talking to others about the process with him and those who have gone before.
2 – Listening to Podcasts: I suggested the Life After Military Service podcast
4 – Reading books: Tommy also encourages discussing the book you read with others.
5 – Assessments: Tommy is using assessment such as Strengths Finder to help translate his skills into civilian workforce needs
The last one has been key to helping him identify his skills and the areas where he naturally excels. He has found it helpful for him to step away from the military assessments and take ones that are more geared towards a civilian workforce.
I think it’s very commendable that Tommy has the foresight to take these assessments rather than sticking with the military ones.
If you find yourself in a position, where you need to rediscover what makes you tick, I recommend the following assessments.
1 – Strengths Finder
2 – Stand Out
3 – Fascination Advantage
Finally, Tommy and I discuss the importance of military personnel getting started sooner rather than later when preparing for your transition. Even suggesting starting as early as two years out.
SUMMARY
Anyone interested in reaching out to Tommy whether in the military or not, you can get in touch with him below.
Email: testoner@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommystoner
Tommy ended our discussion with the following words of wisdom that apply to everyone, not just those in the Military.
”Stay strong during the transition process. Don’t go through it alone. Utilize the resources available to you and start early. 6 months out is too late”.
