BROADCASTS.com

It\u2019s episode 26 of Blended: I\u2019m joined by another fantastic panel of guests and, today, we\u2019re talking about veterans. This is a discussion I like to have every year on Blended around this time. Veterans Day provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the role that veterans have played in our country. As we honor the brave people that have served, it\u2019s important to also hear their stories.

Today, our guests will be sharing their life experiences, both professionally and personally; debating the well-known phrases \u2018thank you for your service\u2019 and \u2018call of duty\u2019; discussing transitioning from military to civilian life; and sharing advice on how we can both support veterans, and help businesses to become more veteran friendly.

\xa0

\xa0

[00.52] Introductions to our Blended panellists.

• Kris \u2013 President and co-founder at Gen Alpha Technologies
• Sylena \u2013 General Manager at OwlCrate
• Jerry \u2013 Acquisition Project Manager at Hive Group

\u201cIt was an interesting period of time in the early 2000\u2019s, where we looking at what culture used to look like, what used to be acceptable and what isn\u2019t now. There was a lot of cross-functional abuse.\u201d Sylena

[07.27] The group discuss why they chose to join the military, their experiences and how they found supply chain.

\u201cJoining the military was something brand new to our family, I was the first generation to join the military, so I had no insight, no clue\u2026 everything that I knew of the military was from movies.\u201d Jerry

• Jerry\u2019s experience of having an internal calling to sign up
• Kris\u2019s experience of signing up instead of taking her place at University
• Sylena\u2019s experience in the Canadian cadet programme
• Camaraderie and friendship
• Challenges for women and queer community \u2013 Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell
• Loyalty

\u201cI joined the military to see the world!\u201d Kris

[25.46] The panel explore the phrases 'going above and beyond the call of duty' and 'thank you for your service', and some of the mental impacts around them.

• Differentiating veterans that have, and have not, undertaken active service
• PTSD and post-service trauma
• Self-doubt and imposter syndrome
• Importance of support roles
• What people can do
  1. Create spaces to have conversations
  2. Hire veterans and change recruitment processes
  3. Provide advantages to veterans

\u201cI like to leave it for the folks that paid the ultimate sacrifice.\u201d Jerry

[42.54] The group discuss the transition from military service to civilian life and share thier advice to both businesses and veterans.

\u201cI did supply chain in the marine corps so my transition out was a little bit easier.\u201d Jerry

• The need for a mindset change
• Lack of belief that an army career equals a college education
• Transferable skills
• Find the right way to describe skills in a way that connects with civilian recruitment
• Find a mentor and help with resumes
• Make jobs attractive to veterans
• Build a network
• Guilt and loss of purpose
• Plan the transition
• Learning a new language (corporate world)
• Well-funded Employment Resource Group
• Community
• Lead with a mission and purpose
• Training programmes

\u201cHave confidence in yourself, you\u2019ve been trained and you have skills.\u201d Kris

\u201cHire veterans! Remove the barriers to your hiring processes, give them their own hiring path, take away the need for a degree and have conversations \u2013 they will bring things to your organization that no one else will.\u201d Sylena

[1.05.25] The group sum-up their thoughts from today\u2019s discussion with what surprises them about veterans.

\u201cI\u2019m always surprised by how immensely talented, capable and qualified folks are!\u201d Sylena

\xa0

\xa0

You can connect with Sylena, Jerry and Kris over on LinkedIn.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not listen to episode 231: Blended \u2013 Veterans and Civil life: Winning the Battle of Workplace Discrimination, where our guests shared their personal experiences of the military and transitioning to civilian life; inclusion and supplier diversity; employment struggles and entrepreneurship; and their advice and tips for both veterans, and businesses looking to support them.

Check out our other podcasts HERE.