A Veteran's Perspective
Successfully
Transitioning to the
Private Sector
By Francisco German, Security Manager at UPS
Former U.S. Marine
Upon my arrival to the United States from my native
country, the Dominican Republic, my first challenge
at the age of 15 was to learn and master the English
language. It was evident that in order to maximize my
American success I could not allow language to be a
barrier. I joined and spent four years in the United
States Marine Corps. This experience dictated and
confirmed that the ability to clearly communicate would
be critical to achieving my dreams of success.
Graduation photo from boot
camp, Parris Island, SC, 2000.
Mastering the English language and being bilingual became
an asset in both my military and civilian professional experience.
The opportunity to serve my country was the foundation I
would need to consistently push forward in all my endeavors.
From mastering the use of the language to mastering alternative
styles of delivering messages, my experiences have fostered
both personal and professional growth.
Following my military career, I joined UPS as a full-time
hourly employee on the Security team. This was the beginning
of a fast paced, progressive and successful management career
with UPS. After joining the corporate workforce it became
apparent that I needed to adjust my communication delivery
style in my new leadership role. There is a difference in delivering
military orders compared to communicating team objectives
and buy in from your civilian work group.
On October 22nd, 2014 Frank German (far right) had the honor to give
Former Secretary of Labor, Thomas Edward Perez (Wearing the UPS
jacket), a tour of the UPS Corporate School facility in Landover, MD.
Adjusting my communication style as military personnel
moving into a corporate leadership role was one of the most
difficult transitions. There is a distinct and impactful difference
between military leadership and private sector leadership.
Dependent upon message delivery, “how you tell military
personnel what to do” in contrast to “how you sell today’s
workforce on what you want them to accomplish” will have
stark differences in results. It can lead to either a desired
collaboration or the opposite— resistance.
Currently, as a 21st century leader in a private industry
dealing with a modern day workforce, I understand I must
bring more than hard skills to the job. Hard skills appropriate
in the military arena are often too rigid to be effective or accepted
in the corporate arena. My success is now contingent on my
ability to integrate soft skills, i.e. emotional intelligence,
creative problem solving, motivation and communication etc.,
into my management style.
I am a member of the UPS Veterans Business Resource
Group (an internal organization dedicated to military
acknowledgement and recruitment). This organization affords
me many opportunities to mentor military personnel now
seeking to join the private sector as well as the opportunities
offered with UPS. During these conversations I often speak on
the topic of the impact and influence of adapting different
leadership styles. These range from military to private and as
they relate to success.
For many service men and women this change may be
difficult, while for others it will be a welcomed opportunity
for creativity when moving people to action in meeting a
desired goal. The fact that many may note similarities to the
military at UPS due to uniforms, rigid regulations, and strict
policies and procedures, it is still necessary to understand the
workforce is not military and requires a different skill set to
create cohesive and successful teams.
LS
A former U.S. Marine, Francisco German is a Security
Manager at UPS and the Co-Chair of UPS’ Veterans BRG.
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54 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 4, 2018
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