Recently I was approached with an opportunity to mentor people from two diverse groups: military members preparing for retirement transition and workers who desire a new career path in cyber security.
It has been incredibly rewarding and is now part of my persistent activity rhythm.
The dirty secret of being a mentor is the mentor gets just as much, if not more, from the process as the mentee. If nothing else, it brings to top of mind answers to the question, “how did I get here?”
This week we focused on military members developing a reading list to expand their vernacular to enable translating their world-class leadership skills to a more genteel environment.
I invite you to discuss, refute, or build upon this list of texts.
Crucial Conversations - Kerry Patterson This was given to me by a fellow Vet. It will take to develop your new conversational styles. Even if you stay in government/contracting, your vernacular will need to adapt to a “less driven” populace.
Below are some "non-military vernacular" texts to serve as thought prompts. While expanding your vocabulary, these should re-enforce that you have the talent and skills that are highly sought after. Where military members have been taught deliberative and hasty planning using military doctrine and terms, these introduce new terms for the same concepts.
Read, not listen, to these as there are important graphics.
These you can listen to and get the gist:
Did you know that military retirees are prime candidates for mentoring? In fact, many of them are looking for mentors to help them adjust to their new lives post-military. If you're a retired or veteran military member, now is the time to become a mentor and help others in their transition. Check out https://mentor.vetsintech.co/ for more information on how to get started.