This program is designed for the men and women of our Armed Forces who have made or plan to make the transition from military officer to civilian leader. Veterans are an untapped resource of a growing labor force and knowing how to articulate your intangible skills is an important differentiator for an executive position in the civilian world.

In 2012, the Armed Forces transitioned 600+ service members each day. It’s anticipated that as the wars draw down, that figure may reach a daily rate of 800 in the next 2-3 years. As federal and DOD job opportunities continue to shrink with increased competition for each job vacancy, it’s critical that military professionals be better prepared and understand the civilian job market.

In today’s market, the biggest challenge in making this transition is building the confidence to get in front of the decision maker who values your military background and can understand the translation between what you did in the military and how that applies to the position they are trying to fill.

As a transitioning officer, you may not have done the exact job a company is looking for, but you probably have done something similar, and you bring a lot of potential. You already have a lot of well-honed leadership skills, and you bring the ability to learn rapidly, assimilate and grow. Other strengths you bring are focus, character, discipline and attention to detail

The question is not whether you have these qualities, but how do you sell them in such a way that you will be remembered for the right reason.

This program will help you expedite your transition to “what’s next”. It is an intensive one-on-one coaching relationship; it is not another cookie-cutter outplacement program. We hope you will appreciate our straightforward approach. We believe in accountability over promise, substance over convenience and chemistry over location.

Our business is a compassionate business, but it is a business. We have assembled a team of experts to make a serious impact on your career transition blueprint. Our profitability is a direct result of this impact.

Program components:

• Adapting to Change Accepting what you can and cannot control
• Executive Resume    A professional technical writer as you will need two resumes
• Just-in-Time Access Availability is 24/7
• Communication        HOW you say it is often more important than WHAT you say
• Positive Networking            Reduces the pressure of connecting with people you don’t know
• References                Differentiating your references from your competition
• Research                   Productive vs. Rocking Chair
• Executive Search      The benefits and the downside
• Marketing Strategies          Creating an environment where people will buy from you
• Linkedin                    A social media expert to build and polish your profile
• Interviewing             It’s a business conversation
• Negotiating               Placing the WHY before the WHAT
• On boarding Coaching        Build on the momentum you’ve created
• Spousal Assistance A new role as your ‘live-in’ accountability partner

We work with a small number of clients and are available 24/7 because this is what we would expect.

The late John Wooden, basketball coach at UCLA who won more NCAA titles than any coach to date, never talked about winning. He preached preparation.

A few “preparation” questions to consider:

• Where do you see yourself in the next three years? The next year? The next six months?

• What new skills or new perspectives do you need to acquire to support achievement of your goals?
• What have you tried/thought of already?
• What are your key differentiators in the marketplace?
• If asked tomorrow, how would you articulate your value that will be remembered?
• What does your executive networking base look like?
• What resources do you need?
• What are the road blocks you expect or know about?
• What is your worth in today’s job market?
• How do you plan to achieve the top end of the salary range?
• What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
• Who do you go to when your hair is “on fire”?
• Why should someone hire you?

Should you be interested in entrepreneurship:

• Is your next step, in fact, another position?
• What do you do so well that someone is going to pay you money to do it?
• Who are you trying to please?
• Are you trying to make a living, make a difference, or leave a legacy?
• How will the world be different when you’ve succeeded?
• Is it more important to add new customers or to increase your interactions with existing ones?
• Are you prepared to actively sell or are you expecting people to buy from you?
• Are you planning to invent a category or be better in an existing market?
• Hard costs? What are they? Can you initially get by with “good” instead of “best”?
• How is this going to force you to change and develop yourself?
• What are your ‘must haves’? What are you ‘nice to haves’?
• Who do you trust that will tell you what you need to hear vs. what you want to hear?
• How long can you wait before it feels as though you’re succeeding?
• How open to criticism are you willing to be?
• What does busy look like?
• What does your market look like?
• Who are your competitors?
• What is your differentiator? Are you going to take the time to develop one or are you planning to compete on price?
• Do you have a best friend? Is he or she smarter than you?

• If not, what is it?

Because you are paying the fee for this service and you don’t know us from Adam’s housecat, we recommend that you do your due diligence. I would be happy to provide you with references or you can read the testimonials on our website. They are genuine comments.

Also, if you are viewing any coaching relationship as an expense, please don’t spend the money. This relationship should be viewed as an investment.

Career transition is, at best, like running a marathon through a minefield.  It would nice to have someone who can mark the path.

Thank you for your service to our country.