When someone in the Military arrives at a new duty station they find themselves thrown amongst others that have been there for any amount of time. As a productive member and wanting to be able to provide as much value at your new assignment you need to be able to come up to speed in many ways quickly such as; what's your role, who's who in your structure, what are the dependencies, what agendas are already being worked and do they fit into your approach, what are the hottest topics, etc. This is a lot of information to process in a short period of time on top of moving and settling into your new living quarters to ensure your family has the chance to adjust and get their needs taken care.
This over time becomes a core strength of all military members and they can do most of it without thinking. They can mentally plan and anticipate most situations after a couple duty station changes, especially those who have been deployed to a combat zone. You are hyper sensitive to being a immediate contributor to the mission and serving those around you.
"We all need to feel that we are contributing value to the lives of others." - Dan Brule
There are many benefits to being an immediate contributor:
- Anticipating where an organization is going puts you in the driver's seat
- Your value as an employee increases exponentially
- The projects and people entrusted to you will flourish
- Leadership will come to rely on this quality
As we all know in the corporate sector it's all about results in many ways. In order to be ready to take on the latest challenges a particular organization has going on you need to understand what it takes for you to provide immediate contributions and then step back and realize what you now need to provide as an immediate contribution as change and forward movement is non-stop. It is always about what have you done for me latetly. This is where having the core skill of being able to being an immediate contributor come into play.
I've had the experience of being in the Information Technology field for 25+ years and serve as a Chief Information Officer for a Federal Aerospace Engineering firm. The IT field alone requires that you are able to learn and contribute to the latest and greatest technology evolutions. If an organizations technology lags behind the business will suffer as a result. Being able to be on the forefront and contributing proactively to the future of the organization is critical. The thing is it's not a onetime contribution; it's more of a moving from one contribution to the next without a gap. I've gone into organizations or managed contracts over the years where the technology evolution was way off the rails and was a leading contributor to the organization starting to fall behind in being competitive. I had to go in with the intent of being able to make an immediate contribution so that the organization could get out of the rut they were in and move forward.
Are you honing the core skill of being an immediate contributor? If so you will notice the attention you get for being able to solve problems of importance and adding significant value to your organization.
Landmark Life Coaching's Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.
Veterans Coach/Speaker/Writer Dwayne.paro@landmarklifecoaching.com