ATC employees share lessons learned from military service
At American Transmission Co., our employees are the heart of our organization, and we are proud that many of them represent the American military population. In honor of Military Appreciation Month, we would like to thank our veteran employees not only for what they do for ATC, but also for what they have done for our nation.
Around 10 percent of ATC employees have military experience and they are an important part of our workforce. They bring unique skills and strengths including leadership, honesty, strategic thinking, camaraderie and teamwork.
To help us recognize and honor ATC employees who have served, we asked them to share how they’ve applied their military training and skills to their work at ATC. Here are some of their responses.
Duane, U.S. Navy:
“Amongst many, many things I learned, one that I’ll always remember came from my first commanding officer aboard the submarine I was assigned to, USS Simon Bolivar. He taught me that another person’s perception of me is their reality, it’s based on what they see and hear. If I think their perception about me is wrong, I need to do something to change that perception and not simply complain about it.”
Luella, Army National Guard:
“A simple plan executed well is better than an excellent plan executed poorly or not carried out.”
“If you have a problem to solve, start by getting input from the people closest to the work.”
“Be decisive, and when you make a decision, own it. If you made a mistake, own up to it.”
Dennis, U.S. Navy:
“I would have to say the biggest thing I learned while in the Navy, other than how to properly mop, wax, and buff the floor, was how to deal with a variety of different people from different backgrounds. You have to learn to be tolerant of others’ thoughts and beliefs, and in some cases deal with some very challenging personalities.”
John, U.S. Air Force:
“People first, mission always. It’s important to get to know your people, treat them consistently, help them develop and work with them to remove roadblocks that get in the way of them doing their jobs.”
Matthew, U.S. Marine Corps:
“While going through Marine Corps Infantry Training School, I remember our first night patrol where we expected to be ambushed so that we could implement our combat skills to effectively respond to our armed combatants. The lead infantry instructor said to us as were getting ready to move out, ‘Marines, you need to proceed on this mission with slow movement to contact, we are not rushing to our deaths; we are here to win.’
“The lesson I learned from “slow movement to contact” was that as you venture into an unknown environment or in the case stated above of a simulated fire-fight, you need to as Wyatt Earp liked to state, ‘learn to be slow in a hurry.’
“Earp was referencing how to succeed in an old west gun-fight, which was applicable to a young 19-year-old Private First Class Rifleman when I was going through ITS almost 38 years ago.
“Being “slow in hurry” is a lesson that I have leveraged throughout my life, whether it is as an individual contributor, parenting our kids through their maturation with my wife, or in leadership positions where you have to guide your team through challenging times. It doesn’t mean lollygagging through life, it means you need to be disciplined, consistent and resilient so that you can be the calm at the center of the storm during tough times.”
