From command to corner office p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

When Vic See left the Navy in January 29 years’ experience in uniform, he had a track record of leadership experience and valuable contacts inside the military: everything a contractor could want in a ranking executive.

See, a retired rear admiral, did his homework, combing the library and the Web to learn about companies’ financials and talking endlessly to industry insiders about companies’ reputations and prospects. “I spent probably a month and a half doing company research. I started with 75 companies and researched it down to about 20,” he recalled.

That homework paid off for See, now senior vice president of Chantilly, Va.-based Integrity Applications Inc., a systems acquisition, engineering and project management firm.

But it takes more than sound research to transition from senior military to a top corporate-executive role. Cultural savvy, personal humility and a willingness to take a leaner compensation up front: It’s all part of jumping from the upper rungs of the military ladder into the corner office.

Show them the money

To land that C-suite or executive vice president job, you’ve got to bolster your employer’s bottom line. That’s what Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Tafner has learned while looking for a civilian job on terminal leave at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. After 20 years in the service, he wants a senior position and is focusing his search with help from executive recruiting and career coaching firm Palladian International, executive online recruiter TheLadders.com and the Military Officers Association.

“You need to quantify your leadership value in terms of the specific impact your actions have had on the organization,” he said. “You need to show them that you can deliver outcomes, that you can deliver the bottom line.”

Despite having carried significant responsibilities in the Air Force, Tafner initially had a hard time convincing corporate types that his experience mattered. “But when I say we were one of five out of 60 organizations that achieved an excellent rating, that quantifies it better.”

Mark Henderson, president of Palladian International, tells candidates to highlight tangible signs of success. “Did you leverage things to get more bang for the buck? Did you get more training dollars for your unit? Did you fix a propeller defect problem that was costing millions of dollars in potential problems? That might just be a small blip on your résumé, but it’s the kind of thing that any company can understand,” Henderson said.

Find a sympathetic insider

Sometimes it takes a military person to see the practical value of military experience. That’s why Eric Duggan, a consultant with executive recruiting firm Lucas Group in Dallas, encourages executive-level candidates to seek out veterans within target organizations.

“Find out if that company has hired military people in the past. Find those people and make contact with them,” he said. The company’s Web page probably has executive bios. Social networking tools and trade associations can also help you identify former service members.

Forge a connection with that veteran. Then you can refer to that person’s contributions when you interview for the job, as an example of the value that ranking military people have already brought to the table for the company.

What you’ll be worth

Just because you’ve been top dog, that doesn’t mean you will be gnawing on the big bone on your first day in the corporate kennel.

“It took 30 years to get to where you are in the military, and you are just starting out in the commercial sector,” Henderson said. You’ll probably start out a little lower on the pay scale.

Over time, “the same level of compensation may be attainable in the commercial sector — when you prove yourself there, you are rewarded with money and not medals — but you will need to show what you can do,” Henderson said.

It can help to start a little further down the ladder. Go for vice president before chasing senior vice president. You’re more likely to get that job, and it gives you a chance to prove your private-sector capabilities. Then, reach for the brass ring.

“My most attractive candidates [for executive positions] are those who have worked five or six years in the private sector,” Duggan said.

“They have done [profit and loss statements]. They understand what it is like to lead outside the military. They understand the corporate environment,” he said. “They have all these other elements on top of being a commander, on top of being a West Point graduate.”

Of his 2008 placements, 65 percent came from this category, Duggan said.

Getting acquainted

In seeking out that prime position, a former service member can expect to meet a new way of doing business.

See said the key to a successful transition is to take it slow at first. “If you haven’t been in industry, you will have to give yourself time to learn the processes, to gain an understanding of the way the business world operates,” he said.

For example, goals and processes are far more fluid. In the military, the overall mission tends to go in one direction and stay on target. In the corporate world, it takes very little for an executive to find himself confronted with a whole new portfolio.

“You can have one single executive change, and overnight the priorities can change throughout the company in ways that nobody can guess,” said Gary Capone, vice president at Palladian.

Another change that might take some getting used to: carrying your own luggage.

“I had a lot of people working for me and a substantial staff” as an admiral, See said. “It’s a little different in industry. You need to be a little more self-reliant. There is no executive officer help with driving, travel or logistics.

“I missed it initially, but it has been pretty easy to adapt, and it hasn’t been catastrophic.”

Novice executives have to be ready to adapt to these cultural changes. It all comes with leaping the hurdle and landing on the executive playing field.

Be strategic

Looking for a high-level position straight out of uniform? Consider these strategies:

Get educated: “After 20 or 25 years in the military, it is pretty much expected that you will have an advanced degree, as an indication of your approach to long-term strategic thinking,” said Eric Duggan, a consultant with executive recruiting firm Lucas Group. “An MBA is very attractive; it puts you in a different pile among the hundreds of other résumés.”

Take an interest: Begin exploring the private sector before retirement, recommends Mark Henderson, president of Palladian International. Get involved in trade organizations and their certification programs. Contact industry players through www.linkedin.com. Take part in public forums. “That is going to separate you from someone else.”

Learn the landscape: Research the particular challenges faced by a potential employer or target industry, said Deb Dib, a job listings aggregator at www.job-hunt.org. Build “accomplishment” stories that demonstrate an understanding of those needs.

Look beyond the Beltway: Too many top brass assume the defense industry is the only way to go after retirement. “They have a Rolodex of contacts, they certainly know that world, they might be dealing with many people they dealt with on active duty,” Henderson said. But there are other avenues including small business and fast-growth startups. “I encourage officers to explore what else is out there.”

Develop sales tools: An executive-level seeker should have an accomplishments brief, an executive biography and micro-bios for articles and speaking gigs, as well as 30-second elevator pitches and a ready list of top “selling points,” Dib said.

Work the interview: Use the interview as an opportunity to brainstorm current issues in the company, Dib said. Show them you can think on your feet and deliver solutions to their real-world dilemmas.