BTU #46 - Mandy Psiaki: Army to Chick-fil-a Corporate

“In the military we like to talk about, 'we accomplish more before 9am than the rest of the world.' If you take that thought into the civilian world, it's going to hurt you. There are really smart people out there and there is so much to be learned as you make the transition. Everyone has chosen to do something different - whether you're in the military or working for Chick-fil-a, or somewhere else. They're adding a lot of value where they are. So just keep in mind that - 'I can add value too in a unique way and I have a unique skill set to bring, but there are also a lot of people around me who are really smart and adding a lot of value too." – Mandy Psiaki

Mandy Psiaki is a Senior Team Lead at Chick-fil-A Corporate. She started out at West Point, and served in the Army for five years as a Finance Officer. She received her MBA from Colorado State University while still on Active Duty. She started her civilian career at Proctor & Gamble, where she worked for three months as an Associate Manager, Consumer and Market Knowledge. Before she transitioned to Chick-fil-A, where she has worked for nearly five years: starting as a Franchisee Selection Consultant, a Senior Franchisee Selection Consultant, and now her current role as Senior Team Lead, Specialized Training.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• An overview of Mandy's work at Chick-fil-a
• What it was like getting an MBA while on Active Duty
• How Mandy transitioned to Proctor & Gamble
• How Mandy started working at Chick-fil-a and an overview of her first role as Franchisee Selection Consultant
• How the separation between Mandy and her husband in the corporate world differed from their separation while on Active Duty
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

• 2:07 - Mandy's background
• 2:51 - An overview of Mandy's work at Chick-fil-a
• 4:15 - What her job looks like on a day-to-day basis
• 7:05 - The lifestyle component of her work
• 8:08 - The most challenging aspect of Mandy's work
• 9:25 - Mandy's decision to leave the Army
• 10:53 - How she thought about the Reserves
• 11:42 - What it was like getting an MBA while on Active Duty
• 14:46 - How Mandy transitioned to Proctor & Gamble
• 20:01 - How Mandy started working at Chick-fil-a and an overview of her first role as Franchisee Selection Consultant
• 22:20 - How the separation between Mandy and her husband in the corporate world differed from their separation while on Active Duty
• 25:53 - How Mandy's next role at Chick-fil-a compared to her first role
• 26:59 - Indications that you may like a job like Mandy's... and indications you may not enjoy it
• 29:07 - Common career paths for someone in Mandy's shoes
• 30:30 - How leadership outside of the military has differed from leadership in the military
• 32:12 - Positive habits Mandy has tried to maintain from the military... and bad habits she had to break
• 33:44 - The most surprising aspect of Mandy's transition to the civilian world
• 35:08 - How Mandy felt ahead of her civilian counterparts, and where she felt behind
• 39:40 - Final words of wisdom

BTU #44 - Sam Bond: Bain, Coca-Cola, and General Manager at Lyft

“When I left Bain I reached out to a variety of folks… to explore what was out there. I kept in touch with those folks, and made a point to regularly get back in touch with people and see what they’re up to. It was after a meeting like that - we grabbed coffee and didn’t think much of it at the time, but he called me a few weeks later to let me know that Lyft was starting up in Atlanta. It was basically a lightening bolt that made me aware. It appeared and it appeared because I made contacts and maintained them." – Sam Bond

Sam Bond is a General Manager at Lyft - a company most listeners have probably used for their app which makes it simple for you to find a ride whenever you need one. Although only four years old, Lyft has raised $2B in funding, and has nearly 6k employees listed on LinkedIn. Sam started out at Princeton University and then served as an officer in the Marine Corps for 4 years. After his service, he attended the University of Virginia - Darden Graduate School of Business. He worked in consulting at Bain & Company as a Consultant and then Case Team Leader. He also worked at the Coca-Cola Company - first as a Director Supply Chain Strategy and then as a Group Director of Strategy and Portfolio Management.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• An overview of the General Manager position at Lyft
• Indications that a veteran may enjoy the role of General Manager, and indications that it might not be a good fit for them
• What it's like to work at an explosively growing startup (and the pros and cons of joining a company on an exponential growth path)
• An overview of entry level positions at Coca-Cola for a newly transitioned veteran
• How Sam looks back on his journey to a role of General Manager
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Links

• The ride sharing service, Lyft

Show Notes

• 2:23 - Sam's background
• 3:27 - An overview of the General Manager position at Lyft
• 7:27 - Sam's day-to-day life at Lyft
• 11:58 - Indications that a veteran may enjoy the role of General Manager, and indications that it might not be a good fit for them
• 15:00 - What it's like to work at an explosively growing startup (and the pros and cons of joining a company on an exponential growth path)
• 19:20 - Sam's decision to leave the Marine Corps
• 22:05 - Sam's view on an MBA and how essential it is to a veteran aspiring to a General Manager role
• 24:04 - How Sam decided to enter Management Consulting at Bain & Company
• 26:25 - Some of the skills that Sam learned at Bain that have helped him in his role as General Manager
• 29:45 - How Sam's lifestyle changed between a Consultant to a Case Team Leader
• 31:50 - After three years, how Sam transitioned from Bain & Company to Coca-Cola
• 34:50 - An overview of Sam's roles at Coca-Cola
• 38:20 - An overview of entry level positions at Coca-Cola for a newly transitioned veteran
• 41:10 - How Sam transitioned from Coca-Cola to Lyft
• 47:32 - How Sam looks back on his journey to a role of General Manager
• 50:00 - How leadership outside of the military differs from leadership within the military
• 52:20 - Final words of wisdom from Sam

BTU #43 - Todd Pringle: General Manager at Stitcher, and a history of Product Management

“Many Product Managers - most of them, actually - don't have anyone directly working for them. They work with everybody and yet are the owner - and that's a really interesting role. One of the things that I found useful in the military that I translated was: I found - personally - that getting things done, even in the military where it is more hierarchical, that treating people as peers and as experts in their area; that motivating them to get things done without using your direct authority over them was the best way to get things done. And that skill set really translates well to Product Management. " – Todd Pringle

Todd Pringle General Manager and Vice President of Product at Stitcher - the podcasting app that many of you are use to listen to this podcast, and was acquired by Midroll. Todd started out at UCLA, after which he served in the Navy for 4 years as part of the Supply Corps. After his transition out of the military, Todd attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business. After this he held a variety of Product Management roles - at Netscape and AOL in the early 2000s, and then eBay, AirPlay and then a company called Yoono. Todd also holds two US Patents

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• An overview of the role of General Manager & VP of Product
• How the role of Product Manager has changed over the last 15 years
• How Todd would approach the Product Manager role if he were starting over again today
• Indications that you may enjoy Product Management, and signs you might dislike it
• An overview of Todd's career in Product Management since business school
• Advice on the decision between joining a startup vs. a more established company
• Things you can do right now to start building a skill set to be a Product Manager
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Links

• Todd's Company - Stitcher - is my favorite app for listening to podcasts

Show Notes

• 2:24 - Todd's background
• 3:26 - An overview of the role of General Manager & VP of Product
• 5:39 - The General Manger role on a day-to-day basis
• 7:12 - What drew Todd to the Product Manager role after business school
• 11:00 - How the role of Product Manager has changed over the last 15 years
• 12:45 - How Todd would approach the Product Manager role if he were starting over again today
• 15:12 - Indications that you may enjoy Product Management, and signs you might dislike it
• 17:40 - How leadership has differed outside of the military vs. inside the military
• 19:15 - An overview of Todd's career in Product Management since business school
• 24:18 - Advice on the decision between joining a startup vs. a more established company
• 27:52 - Things you can do right now to start building a skill set to be a Product Manager
• 29:55 - Habits that have helped - and hurt - veterans in the civilian world
• 33:29 - How to know when to move on from one company - or role - to the next
• 36:36 - How Todd approached the Reserves
• 39:09 - An overview of Todd's company, Stitcher
• 43:11 - Some of Todd's favorite podcasts
• 44:53 - Final words of wisdom from Todd

BTU #20 - Tony Zamora: Electronics Technician to Human Resources

“Something that was surprising [about the transition to civilian life] is that not everything is really laid out for you. In the military a lot of things are laid out for you; you go through specific trainings and checklists, you have a criteria on how you’re going to grow your career and take the test to advance and everything is defined by points and very structured in the military. When you get out, it’s nothing like that. You’re as successful on the outside as you want to be. you have to be hungry for those opportunities and seek them, because nothing is really laid out for you." – Tony Zamora

Tony Zamora is the Director of Human Resources at Ipsos, a company with over 17,000 worldwide employees. Tony started out as an Electronics Tech in the US Navy, and also served as an Electronics Repair Technician with the Coast Guard. He has worked in Human Resources roles at the Sierra Nevada Corporation and The San Jose Group.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• An overview of Human Resources and why you might find it appealing
• What it’s like to be a Director of Human Resources, and what day-to-day life looks like
• Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition and job search
• How to improve your resume
• What someone on active duty can do right now to start preparing for their transition to a civilian career
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Show Notes

• 1:20 - Tony’s background
• 2:25 - Tony’s decision to leave the military and how he approached it
• 3:31 - How Tony researched what he wanted to do outside of the military
• 5:41 - An overview of Human Resources and what appealed to Tony about this career
• 7:01 - What it’s like to be a Director of Human Resources, and what day-to-day life looks like
• 11:10 - In what ways Tony felt ahead of his peers in Human Resources, and where he had to catch up based on his military service
• 13:07 - What was most surprising to Tony about his transition to civilian life
• 14:40 - Advice to veterans based on Tony’s experience in Human Resources (HR)
• 16:35 - The best advice Tony received about how to transition to a civilian career
• 17:40 - Advice on how to network
• 21:45 - Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition and job search
• 22:16 - How to improve your resume
• 23:50 - What someone on active duty can do right now to start preparing for their transition to a civilian career
• 27:35 - Final words of advice to veterans

BTU 17: Maggi & Johannes - Career Off-roading

This episode is a break from my normal format - rather than interview a veteran about their civilian career, I interview TWO veterans about their advice based on their work in helping other veterans. This episode is FULL of helpful hints, resources, and recommendations that would benefit any veteran.

In this interview I meet with Johannes Schonberg and Maggi Melina. Johannes enlisted in the navy as a Nuclear Machinist Mate, before attending the Naval Academy with a degree in English. He served as a Surface Warfare Officer in San Diego for five years before transitioning to civilian life. He has done work in Politics and as a consultant, helping companies like T-Mobile and Facebook hire veterans. Maggi Air Force ground radar systems journeyman, deploying to Kuwait. After her transition, she completed her bachelors degree, went to law school, and worked as a lawyer for seven years. After practicing law, she worked in politics, as an electrician, and then as a founder of a startup.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• Practical tips and tools to use as a veteran to help in your networking
• Coding academies and other efficient resources to help educate you for a specific job
• What companies like Facebook and T-Mobile look for in veterans
• And much, much more...

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Operation Code- mentor people to learn new tech skill set
• LinkedIn Premium Account
• Education sources to consider: EdX, Coursera (Promotion for Veterans), Salesforce for Veterans (VetForce), udemy, Khan Academy,  Udacity, Continuing education at community college
• Events to consider - Startup Weekend; Seattle Tech list serv, MeetUp.com, Lean Startup, Veterans on Wall Street, Military Conferences, Academy Conferences
• Code Schools to consider: Code Fellows, Operation Code (list of code schools that take the GI Bill)
• Glass Door - there's a lot of salary info here. I recommend you use them to see the earning potential of graduates from a program; before you invest money in an education, know the concrete numbers you can expect to make on the other side
• American Corporate Partners - connects military personnel with a senior level civilian to be your mentor
• Deliotte Core Leadership Program - helps veterans build an elevator pitch and build their personal brand
• Vet Tech Trek - go from tech companies around SF and NY and finance
• The Commit Foundation - creates tailored transition solutions for top Veteran talent and are reaching Veterans across the nation through our small touch, high impact workshops and 1-on-1 transition assistance programs.
• Upwork - freelance site; could use to build skills
  • Top skills for 2015 - what skills are most valuable that year
• To consider while on Active Duty - The Defense Innovation Initiative; the Navy Innovation Advisory; Hacking for Defense (H4D), Defense Entrepreneurs Forum,
• http://seattletechstartups.com/
• To Contact Maggi - OperationCode.Org's Slack Channel (Direct Message @Maggi)
• Johannes' work at Bunker Labs - free resource, overview of what entrepreneurship looks like, as well as the Athena Project

Show Notes

• 1:30 Intro and background info Johannes and Maggi
• 7:12 What people on active duty may not understand about civilian life.
• 12:30 What is “networking” and advice for veterans about how to get started
• 17:10 Education - taking a proactive and efficient approach to education, and specific resources to consider
• 21:00 How a veteran might approach “networking” in a way that is more authentic and natural to them
• 23:26 A few other resources to consider for education
• 25:20 Common mistakes that veterans make in their transition to civilian life
• 29:50 An overview of Code Schools and Coding Academies
• 34:58 What veterans should know about applying to companies like Facebook and T-Mobile
• 43:40 Other advice and words of wisdom for veterans

BTU #4 - Brad Bonney - Business School, Confidence, and a Startup Rollercoaster

“What I didn't know [when I was first getting out of the Navy] was how prepared and equipped veterans are as they're transitioning for an unbelievable number of roles within corporate america.”

– Brad Bonney

Brad Bonney grew up in Kansas City and in 8th Grade decided to attend the Naval Academy. He graduated from USNA in '05, went to Stanford University to get his MS in Electrical Engineering, and then joined the submarine pipeline. After five years of service on the USS Jefferson City, he left the Navy to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

After graduating from Stanford (for the second time), Brad joined AirBnB as one of their first thousand employees. Since then, he has seen the company triple in size, as he serves as a manager on their Trust & Safety team (with over 200 employees).

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

• His decision to leave the Navy, and how he thought about the Reserves
• How he decided to go back to grad school again
• Advice on applying to a top tier business school
• Thoughts about Executive Education programs
• How he decided to join AirBnB, and how he got his foot in the door
• What is day-to-day life like at a high-growth internet startup
• What has been the most surprising aspect of civilian life
• And much, much more…

• • Listen to it on iTunes.
  • Stream by clicking here.
  • Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
  • NEW: Watch on video on YouTube here:

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How can I make these episodes more valuable to active duty military personnel considering transitioning to the civilian world? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

• Trident Scholar Program
• Stanford Master in Electrical Engineering
• USS Jefferson City (SSN 759)
• Stanford Graduate School of Business application
• Veterans club for Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB
• UCLA Executive MBA
• Airbnb
• Other sharing economy companies: TaskRabbit, Lyft, Postmates
• Goldman Sachs
• Stanford Career Life Visioning

Show Notes

• [3:03] - Personal, USNA and Navy background
• [3:35] - Stanford MS experience
• [4:23] - Decision to transition from the Navy
• [5:08] - Decision process for not joining the Navy Reserves
• [5:55] - Deciding to get another degree
• [7:20] - Choosing Business School over other grad programs
• [8:23] - Why Stanford & the application process, how to evaluate the value of business school
• [9:45] - Advice for applying to Stanford (and Business School in general) and what not to do
• [12:10] - Advice to active duty military thinking of applying to Business School in several years
• [13:40] - considering Executive Education vs. Full Time grad school
• [15:08] - Understanding what you're buying with an MBA experience
• [15:48] - AirBnB description & joining a high-growth startup
• [17:43] - What day-to-day job looks like
• [19:13] - Team size and composition
• [19:48] - Travel
• [21:10] - Hours
• [22:29] - Perks & Paternity Leave
• [25:18] - Vacation
• [26:29] - Choosing an Industry and deciding on AirBnB
• [29:03] - Preparing for Interview, and the interview process
• [31:18] - Deciding on the size of the company
• [33:08] -  Difference in management in civilian life vs. the military
• [36:58] - Advice to current college students planning a transition to civilian life
• [38:23] - Advice to officers thinking of getting out of the military in the next 1-2 years
• [40:16] - Most surprising aspects of transition from active duty