Building a Bridge Between Two Worlds

First, can you tell us a little about your background and what led you to join the military?

My family history includes many people in the military since the Revolutionary War, including my grandfather who was in the Army during World War II. When I finished high school, it was pretty clear that I wasn't ready for college. I started to go to community college, but I ended up dropping my classes. As a household rule, I needed a next step, either a job or school, and I chose the military. Being a competitive swimmer in high school and a drive to be the best, I had been looking into the Navy and made up my mind that I wanted to be a SEAL.

Why did you choose to apply to the PLD program?

I learned about the program through one of my best friends, Jonathan Wilson, the founder of the nonprofit SEAL Future Fund. He and I went through SEAL training together in 2004 and have stayed in touch ever since that time. His daughter is my goddaughter, so we have remained close. I was getting ready to transition out of the Seals at the same time he was finishing the PLD program. He often talked about how great it was, and he asked if I was interested in attending.

Can you describe the SEAL Future Fund for those who aren't familiar with it?

The main goal is to transition our SEAL teammates from the military into civilian work. As soon as someone starts thinking about moving on, the SEAL Future Fund starts working to assist the transition process. We provide these services for free and raise money in order to accomplish that goal. The SFF sits down with each individual to help create a resume from their military skills and service, as well as, help figure out what their next career may be. Many don't know what that next step is, so we then pair them with a professional coach. Working with the coach, each individual narrows down the field to get an idea of what he might want to do next. We then tap into our network of volunteer mentors to find people in that field, help start a relationship, and eventually try to find him a job. The SFF is currently working to create a national network so that we can help people wherever they go—not just in a few places around the country. Right now, we are creating that network of people who want to help, those who can be trusted to help, and those who have their hearts in the right place.

Does the SEAL Future Fund also provide scholarships?

Yes, that's the other way we contribute. We have a scholarship fund that awards $100,000 every year to help ten candidates with their transitions, for either degree or non-degree programs. Some are younger and want to earn a full two-year MBA—and if that's what they want, that's great. The majority are in their 30s or older, with 10 or 20 years of military service, and have a family to support. They may not want to spend two years earning an MBA, and they may not need one. For them, PLD is a great way to bridge the gap between the military and the civilian world of the private sector.

Was it difficult to go from having a military Commander above you to becoming a CEO?

It was a big mindset shift, and because I was still in the military, it was tough to bounce back and forth. I did the best that I could. It was a big challenge to take over the CEO role and feel responsible for the entire community. One benefit that I was blessed to bring to bat was the network of outstanding people I have met over the years who said they wanted to help in any way possible. Those people have been greatly assisting our teammates find jobs and bringing them into new communities. There's nothing better than getting an email from someone who says that he just received a great job offer and wants to thank us. Even though I am stepping out of the active-duty world, I think I will always want to stay connected to the community. I'll advocate for the SEAL Future Fund for the rest of my life.

What specific lessons does PLD emphasize that make it relevant to those with a military background?

The beauty of this program is that it has allowed me to learn an incredible amount in the past eight months. As a result, I need to digest and prioritize the work. Leadership was important to me. In the military as you're promoted in rank and gain more responsibility, you build your own leadership style over time. The military is getting much better at putting courses together and offering leadership workshops, but they have a military focus. One of the things we talked about at PLD is the importance of change—that we shouldn’t be stagnant. Because of this mindset, PLD was a great learning experience. I was able to step into a completely different world surrounded by 160 people whose perspectives were the opposite of my military background. It gave me a whole new vision of my leadership style. In the military, I was always working toward somebody else's goals, following my Commander's lead. PLD forced me to think about my direction outside the military as well as create my own long-term plan.

Was it difficult to return to the classroom setting?

It was very intimidating to come into a setting like this, even with my background. I think for many, we get to a certain point in our careers, we are older, and we know what we're doing—we become subject-matter experts. It was initially intimidating being on the Harvard Business School (HBS) campus, knowing that there were people here who were well established in the private-sector workforce. Many of the participants had much more experience than I did, but I brought a huge benefit to the table—leadership experience—and I came away with a huge benefit as well.

After you were injured in the midst of Module 3, why were you determined to continue on to Module 4?

For me, it always has to do with the mission, and the mission was PLD. I was part of a team. We were in the middle of Module 3, doing our alumni challenge project, when I had to spend three weeks in the hospital. As soon as I got back on my feet, I wanted to be involved so I didn't feel like I was dropping the ball on my teammates. I had built such close relationships, so it was an easy decision. I had been learning so much as well, and I didn't want to stop. I wanted to continue building on what I had been learning. Additionally, I had already been accepted into Module 5, so I thought it was important to complete Module 4 sooner rather than later.

Is there anything else you want to say to someone who's considering the program?

As Navy Seals, we consider ourselves to be the best of the best. In my military experience, a lot of training is outsourced—we hire people to come in and teach us basic things like driving and shooting, then fine tune them to what we need. The people we hire are the best in the world. It seems logical that, when trying to better ourselves to enter the civilian workforce, we should learn from the best —and HBS is turning out some of the best business leaders in the world. What makes the experience even better is that the PLD faculty and staff see the benefit of what we bring to the table. As a result, we're extremely excited to be a part of the PLD community, and the feedback I get from every SEAL who has attended is that it's an incredible, life-changing program. In essence, what the program does is translate the knowledge and skills we’ve gained in the military to the world of business.