Advice for Veterans
Retired U.S. Army general encourages veterans to achieve goals
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Veterans possess hard- earned mental toughness, superior work ethic and an ability to overcome adversity, which proves valuable in business and life.
A retired U.S. Army general encouraged those who have served to use such traits to their best advantage, during a speech Thursday at a Veterans Business Council breakfast with more than 200 people on hand at Saratoga National Golf Club.
Watervliet native and current Wilton resident William C. Martin is a Desert Storm veteran who served as a strategic analyst and speechwriter for General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. Martin also is a past deputy adjutant general for New York State and was a political military planner for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In civilian life, he founded and is president of The Initiatives Group, LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in leadership development.
“Leverage your character traits the military instilled in you,” said Martin, speaking directly to veterans. “We are a product of the U. S. military and the values it represents – loyalty, respect, duty, honor, integrity, excellence, selflessness, courage, commitment, to name a few. These are our bedrock, the glue that holds our noble profession together, the compass to true North.”
The 23-member Veterans Business Council, a Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce program, helps veterans find jobs and start businesses. Since its inception five years ago, the Council has hosted Hiring Our Heroes events, several Boots to Business programs that provide entrepreneurial training, and organized multiple fundraising activities.
Recently, the Council obtained a $450,000 grant that will be used to build a new field house at the U.S. Naval Support Activity site in Saratoga Springs.
Council Chair Karen Charbonneau reminded attendees that this Nov. 11 – Veterans Day, previously called Armistice Day – marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
“When I enlisted in the army (1988), I did so with the belief a strong military presence allows us as citizens in the United States to live with freedoms not experienced throughout the world,” she said.
Today, that mission is being carried out by troops fighting the Global War on Terror in places such as Afghanistan.
The key to winning this war, or achieving any goal, is “always looking to anticipate and create change,” Martin said.
“Years ago we used to develop our capacities to (fight) tank on tank, airplane against airplane,” he said. “Now with terrorism, it’s
not necessarily a nationstate we’re fighting. Now our enemies are continuing to find ways to target our vulnerabilities. We have to be thinking about what our vulnerabilities are and how they may be attacked by an adversary in the future.”
A strong overseas pres- ence is critical to keeping the enemy at bay by disrupting their communication, infrastructure and training capabilities, he said.
“One of the principles of war is the offense,” Martin said. “We’re trying to maintain the initiative, trying to develop alliances and relationships with countries, to eventually get to a point where through our partnerships, we can begin to have those allies take the bulk of that effort back.”
Drawing on his vast military background, Martin also shared tips for business and leadership success, which the Chamber’s veterans and non-veteran members alike may benefit from.
“Get the knowledge you need, go get it today,” he said.
Things such as believing in one’s self, decisiveness, good relationships, and maintaining a balance between business and personal life are important, too, he said.
“One seed yields giant Sequoias,” Martin said. “Start small, make it great. If it’s great they’ll be back. Love what you’re doing. Don’t get discouraged, hang in there, keep on fighting.”
“Whatever challenge, obstacle or adversity you are facing today you can defeat,” he said.
Effective leaders seek and accept feedback, encourage healthy debate, practice positive reinforcement, and establish, teach and live out values such as competence and character. But most importantly they spend time thinking, which is essential to identifying and solving problems, he said.
“General Schwarzkopf always said to me, ‘I want you [to] think with me. I want you [to] get inside the deci- sion cycle of the enemy, and take the issues of today and make them the opportunities of tomorrow’,” Martin said. “Change is never easy, but it’s easier if you are driving the change as opposed to reacting to it.”
“It’s real hard to catch yesterday,” he said. “But you can get in front of tomorrow.”