Dear Friends, Can someone post a good ppt on " Transition from Army Life to Corporate Life do’s and dont’s"? Thank you in advance! atuljoshi58@gmail.com
From India, Jammu
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Dear Atul,

There is no standard PPT. Everything differs from one person to another and how a person adjusts to a new way of life. Secondly, your rank, number of years spent in defense, etc., also matter. There are a large number of ex-defense officers who work in IT/BPO companies as Admin Heads. You may go there and personally take feedback from them. When you meet ten of them, you will understand what the transition blues are.

As far as this forum is concerned, you may click the following link to refer to one past post: https://www.citehr.com/62628-ex-army...tml#post414557

All the best!

Dinesh V Divekar

From India, Bangalore
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Like Mr. Divekar says, there is no set protocol for Defense personnel who join the Civil organization. However, I will enumerate some observations based on my experiences:

1. The "ex-Defense Baggage" may be an advantage (when the task is all about individual planning/execution) or a disadvantage (when orders are not obeyed by the subordinates - something an Army officer is not used to).

2. Those who switch mid-career from Defense to Civil are advised to shed their erstwhile rank/decorations, etc., while on the assignment. This is because the majority of civil organizations categorize these "faujis" as a peculiar entity where they feel commercial interests and marketing logic are non-existent.

3. As Mr. Divekar says, the years in service may influence the thinking of the fauji.

4. Those who join after retiring in the senior ranks (say, Colonels and above) and have over 20-25 years of service are most prone to exhibiting their Defense Baggage.

5. Having said that, yes, there are ex-faujis who have excelled in the civilian sectors, especially when they are given a free hand to execute the assigned task.

Rajusiachen.

From India, Coimbatore
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Dear All,

It's true, all defense personnel are well trained to say "Yes." It represents accepting the challenge and putting forth your best efforts to do it the right way. As our friend says, it is easy to become a fauji but difficult to become a civilian again.

But the environment has its own effect. I served in the Navy for 18 years as a communicator, later entered the corporate world as an HR/Admin professional. It was a very different experience to integrate with civilians. With time, I also adapted to the new environment. I enjoyed the respect from top management professionals as a disciplined person who can handle any situation without fear.

Currently, I am serving in an infrastructure company where the tasks are challenging, especially in handling labor issues. The values instilled by my service help me resolve them easily.

We welcome all ex-officers and jawans to join the corporate world at any level, those who are willing to apply their faujiness to serve the country indefinitely.

Madan Mohan Bhatt
Ex-Petty Officer (Telegraphy)

From India, New Delhi
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Dear Mr. Atul Sir,

I have lots of respect for defence personnel as I myself am an ex-defence personnel. However, as others have given their views, I just wanted to add that all defence personnel have immense potential to excel in the civil/corporate world. But it requires in-depth grooming on behavioral aspects. To be very specific, it requires aligning the shift of focus from a more focused and strict environment to a more diversified and flexible one.

The civil/corporate environment of business is all related to understanding the business itself, its ethics, principles, and correlating the services knowledge and experiences. Thereby, contributing the same in work performance will enable service personnel to sustain in this industry. One more fact that I have known is that service personnel must accept the bitter truths of the industry where principal business owners/employers have all the rights to make any decision concerning their business and profit.

I have come across many officers as well as men in the industry, where I have seen our people achieve remarkable success. But it took time for them to overcome their egos, whether it be of being an ex-serviceman or of being associated with the Fauj.

Thanks,

Bijay.

From India, Vadodara
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Dear Members,

As an ex-Colonel from the army, I wish to clarify certain myths and misconceptions. There is nothing like a "fauji" being used to hearing 'YES'. There is nothing like instant yes in any organization in the world, including any army in the world. It could perhaps be seen in a terrorist organization. An army officer reaches a stage where people listen to him and follow his commands involving life and death after achieving a stature of a selfless leader through training, education, leadership, personal example, and leading from the front even when unsure if he would survive or not. These traits elevate him to a pedestal where he commands respect and instant obedience. Blind obedience may have been a thing during feudalism, but certainly not now. I am equally appalled to read the term 'past baggage'. With all due respect to everyone here, there is no baggage; rather, it is knowledge. Have you noticed the clarity and flawless delivery of an army officer even when facing certain death? I am sure you have also observed how highly educated individuals resort to notes even when introducing themselves. Having worked for 7-8 years in MNCs, I can confidently say that I did not find a match anywhere. Yes, there may be some challenges during the transition, but it does not require shedding any baggage; instead, one's experience and frontline leadership qualities provide a clear advantage. It may come as a surprise to many that in the army, one has to justify every new expense, unlike the tons of losses incurred by numerous employees who resign and disappear unquestioned. I can provide numerous examples where during NSOs and festivals, crores are wasted on overprovisioning only to be sold at less than half the price within 30 days of purchase. Here, the misconception that senior-level military personnel are unaware of a company's financial health and commercial figures is shattered. It is correct to say that no military person believes in manipulated balance sheets. Gentlemen, please understand that an army leader willingly puts his life on the line knowing that half of them may not survive the action. Therefore, I believe this forum is a place to learn from each other's rich experiences. I regret to say that some members in this excellent forum are only interested in advertising and selling their skills at the expense of others.

From India, Karol Bagh
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