Your Board of Directors

“Build your own Board of Directors to support you through your military transition and all aspects of your life.”

– Eric Brew, Military Transition Advocate

Mentorship and coaching are an important aspect of a successful military transition.  Mentors and Coaches can help you immensely in setting, working towards, and achieving your goals.  They can help you work through issues and provide you much needed advice to successfully navigate the obstacles you will face throughout your transition.

Take a minute to think about that!  You are guaranteed to face obstacles throughout your transition.  Doesn’t it make sense to have some people in your corner helping you navigate around these obstacles?  I think it does and I can tell you from experience, my coaches and mentors were instrumental in my successful transition.

How much easier could, or will, your transition be if you have your own personal board of directors helping you navigate the military transition process?

For me, it was life-changing!  My personal board of directors was made up of mentors, coaches, and trusted veterans who transitioned before me.  Each time I had a question, they were there to answer it with their opinion.  Each time I hit an obstacle, they were there to provide insight on what worked for them or how they saw the obstacle.  Every time I needed them, they were there to listen, opine, and advise.  They were instrumental in my transition success.

Building your own personal board of directors is not difficult.  Anyone can be on your board if they meet the specific requirements you need filled on your board.  I propose that you set up your board to WIN by building a team of mentors and coaches around you that will help you WIN.

1. Winning attitude and expertise brought to your boardroom.
2. Invested in your success and you trust.
3. Not “yes” men and women.

A winning attitude is essential to the success of your board.  Positivity fuels success.  You want to surround yourself with energetic people with the right attitude and mindset.  You want them to add to your boardroom and not duplicate a capability you already possess.  Find people with the right attitude and knowledge that will help you win.

You want people who are invested in you and your success.  You want people you can trust because you want to have open and honest conversations.  Finding these people is the cornerstone of your board.  If they don’t care if you are successful, do you want them influencing your boardroom and your potential path?

There is a good chance that you will find like-minded people to be on your board.  This is human nature; we are drawn to people like us.  There is nothing wrong with that, however, each board member needs to know that you don’t want “yes” men and women.  You want people who will give you honest opinions and are willing to disagree with you if they feel strongly about something.  This will only make your board stronger and will make you much more successful.

A few things to keep in mind as you build and utilize your board of directors:

1. You can have as many people as you want on your personal board of directors. I would caution you to keep it manageable.  You want to be extremely selective and choose the right rock stars to be on your board.  The board of directors is not for everyone, it is for the select few you want in your inner circle.
2. It is not a lifetime appointment. We change over time and so will the people on your board.  It is ok to make changes as necessary as you grow.  Hopefully you don’t have to, hopefully you grow together and become stronger as a team.
3. It’s ok to disagree with your board. What is important is to have the conversation about an idea and work through the pros and cons.  Open honest communication is key to your success.  Don’t make decisions in a vacuum.
4. You can have more than one board of directors. I have a few different boards of directors in my life focusing on specific aspects of my life, interests, and career.  Each board is independent of the other and I make sure I don’t intermingle the boards on topics.  Keeping your boards separate and focused on their specialty areas will only add to your success.

The military transition process is difficult.  There is a lot to learn about, a lot to think about, and a lot to decide on.  It makes sense to have a board of directors around you that you can bounce ideas off.  A group of trusted people you can ask for advice from.  A cohort that wants to celebrate your success with you.

Here’s the good news, several veteran support organizations provide free mentors and coaches for you as you work through the military transition process.  I highly recommend you investigate these programs and make full use of their support.  These resources are there for you, use them to build your team.  Your personal board of directors are your key to success, make full use of them.

Shawn Welsh is the Founder and Co-Host of the VET S.O.S. Podcast.  The show features information and resources about veteran support organizations and key personnel in the veteran support community.  With a passion for helping others, he started VET S.O.S. to provide a lifeline to veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.

Shawn is a retired U.S. Army veteran with over twenty years of experience as an intelligence professional.  As a senior noncommissioned officer, he was dedicated to taking care of his Soldiers and continues that mission today with VET S.O.S.  Shawn holds several advanced degrees including a Master’s Degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma.  A member of the Maxwell Leadership Team, Shawn is also a certified resiliency trainer who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and their two children.

Contact Info:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwelsh00/

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Email: shawn.welsh00@gmail.com

Header Image Credit: Jopwell. Find it here.