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If I could be a Marine, I could do anything... Jim Shannon USMC (ret) shares his philosophy.

Writer's picture: Jim ShannonJim Shannon

Updated: Sep 20, 2019

I’ve been invited to comment on my transition from active duty to life after. By way of introduction, I spent 23+ years on active duty as an Infantry Officer.


To begin, harken back to when you were a teenager or in your early twenties and you asked yourself: “What do I do with my life, or what’s next?” What were those critical decision points you developed for taking the plunge with the USMC? Patriotism, family lineage, see the world, get a job, adventure, test your perceived personal limits… or was it just the uniform?


For me, it was the pure challenge of it all.


I thought if I could be a Marine, I could do anything.


So my question to you is what considerations, priorities, expectations did you think about as you prepared for the transition from civilian to Marine? What inspired your decision? For me, I simply wanted to serve my country for one tour of duty, get out and go to work on Wall Street. That was my plan. In no way, shape, or form had I ever considered sticking around beyond 3-4 years. What changed? Well, it was simple for me. I was having fun and getting paid for it! Pretty good combination.


Fast forward to the end of your enlistment contract or your military career. Lots of factors and variables will play a decisive role in how you approach your transition. Does your current reality (knowledge, skills, abilities) match your desired expectation for work or salary? Married now? Kids?


As a colleague explained to me on my final tour of duty, there are three elements of your guided discovery “transition planning process” that matter greatly:

1. Geography. 2. The people you wish to work with. 3. Salary.


So what’s the leadership point in this conversation? Prepare and Plan. Remember the acronym BAMCIS? More than likely, you actually did this before you entered the Corps; you just weren’t aware you were doing it.


In my mind, the approach is the same whether you’re a Corporal or a Colonel. Yes, the variables may be different, but the functions remain constant.


Transitions, whether they are little “t” or big “T” are stressful. By utilizing a planning and preparation model, a disciplined approach, and the focus to accomplish the mission, you have a greater probability of a favorable outcome -- and hopefully aligned to the one you intended.


BAMCIS: BEGIN planning, ARRANGE for reconnaissance, MAKE reconnaissance, COMPLETE the plan, ISSUE the order, SUPERVISE. The best troop leading steps devised!


Jim Shannon was commissioned in 1979 and served through November, 2002. His Fleet assignments included platoon and company command, Battalion Executive Officer, and as CO of Marine Combat Training Battalion, School of Infantry. Following active duty, he became a government civilian with NAVSEA, significantly with Joint Forces Command J-7 working with deployable training teams supporting Joint Task Force headquarter staffs. Thereafter, he became a Branch Manager at Combat Direction Systems Activity, Dam Neck, focused on rapid innovation solutions. Today, when not on the beach with his dog, he contributes most of his time with the Boy Scouts of America developing the Alumni Relations network both locally and nationally. Printed with Jim's permission.

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(c) 2019 Kevin Horgan, www.corps2corporate.com

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FROM THE CORPS TO CORPORATE and Points in Between... is a series of personal musings using the Leadership Principles and Qualities of the USMC, through my eyes and experiences.  I had a wide variety of successes and failures both large and small, and perhaps you will see yourself or others in the opinions herein.

I am a retired UPSer, having spent a fast 33 years with the organization.  I served in management positions in engineering, operations, and as an attorney in real estate.  I started law school

and loading trucks for Big Brown on the same day in 1984.

Before UPS, I served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps.

That experience was the great privilege of my life.

I was nothing special:  I deployed, but was never shot at!

I have written three novels, THE MARCH OF THE 18TH, and THE MARCH OF THE ORPHANS and A FACE ON THE FLAG.

(See www.kevinhorganbooks.com).

 

I have a cultural/political observation blog . (See www.ourcultureinchoate.com) I also podcast the blog on https://anchor.fm/kevin-horgan 

If you like this work, please share.  Your comments are always welcome!

 

 

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