Transitioning from a career in the military, law enforcement, or as a first responder to civilian life can feel like navigating uncharted territory. Whether you are a veteran, police officer, firefighter, or EMT, the journey to your next chapter is one of transformation, filled with challenges and opportunities. At the core of this transition lies the need for your commitment to being your best—leading with honesty, vulnerability, and transparency to connect with others and create a meaningful impact.
This week, Round 53 of the Tactical Transition Tips, on the Transition Drill Podcast, addresses Authentic Leadership. Authentic leadership is not just about commanding respect; it’s about earning trust. It is the ability to admit you don’t have all the answers, embrace the strengths and weaknesses of yourself and others, and inspire growth through connection. For military veterans, first responders, and law enforcement professionals accustomed to operating in structured environments, this can be both liberating and intimidating. But by leaning into authenticity, you can create bridges between your past experiences and future aspirations, whether in job interviews, team collaborations, or networking opportunities.
This week’s three transitioning tips are:
Close Range Group: Admit What You Don’t Know
Medium Range Group: Talk About Lessons Learned
Long Range Group: Be Honest but Be Empathetic
By exploring actionable tips for each group, whether you’re a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine—or in law enforcement or firefighting—this journey to authentic leadership is your chance to thrive. Let’s dive in and explore how embracing vulnerability can lead to your empowerment.
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Close Range Group: Admit What You Don’t Know
Transitioning from a military or first responder career can feel overwhelming when you’re just months—or even weeks—away from stepping into a new world. Anxiety, uncertainty, and self-doubt can creep in, especially when facing job interviews, applications, and conversations about skills you may not have fully mastered yet. But here’s the good news: embracing vulnerability can be your greatest strength. Admitting what you don’t know, and framing it as an opportunity for growth, can set you apart as an authentic, self-aware leader.
Position Weaknesses as Growth Opportunities
One of the biggest fears in job interviews is being asked about weaknesses. But what if, instead of seeing this as a trap, you turned it into an advantage? Admitting gaps in your knowledge isn’t a sign of incompetence—it’s a testament to your honesty, self-awareness, and desire to improve.
For example, imagine you’re applying for a project management role but don’t have experience with a specific software. Instead of avoiding the topic, address it head-on:
“I’m working to improve my proficiency with [software]. I’ve recently completed a course and am applying what I’ve learned to personal projects. I’m excited to grow this skill while collaborating with experienced teams.”
Employers value candidates who are honest about their limitations but proactive in overcoming them. This mindset demonstrates resilience, adaptability, and a focus on continuous learning—qualities already honed in your career.
Recommendation: Reflect on the areas you’re still developing and outline specific steps you’ve taken or plan to take to address them. Whether it’s technical skills, industry knowledge, or certifications, showing progress can be a game-changer.
Leverage Networks for Knowledge
You’ve spent your career surrounded by teams who have your back. Transitioning doesn’t mean losing that sense of camaraderie; it’s about building new networks that can guide you through unfamiliar territory.
Reach out to industry professionals for advice, mentorship, or informational interviews. For instance, if you’re transitioning from law enforcement to corporate security, connect with someone in that field and ask:
“As someone working in [specific area], I am interested in learning from you. I am transitioning from [role], I’d love to learn about your journey and any advice you have for someone like me.”
Networking isn’t just about job leads; it’s about learning from others’ experiences and filling knowledge gaps.
Recommendation: Use platforms like LinkedIn to find veterans or first responders in your desired field. Join groups or attend events tailored to transitioning professionals. Approach these conversations with humility and a genuine desire to learn—they’ll often be met with enthusiasm and support.
Frame the Unknown as a Collaborative Opportunity
When discussing areas where you lack expertise, position the gap as an opportunity to collaborate and grow with a team. For example, in an interview, you might say:
“One of the reasons I’m excited about this role is the opportunity to work alongside a team of experts. I’m eager to bring my leadership and problem-solving skills to the table, to help the organization, while learning from others to expand my capabilities.”
Employers value candidates who see themselves as part of a larger team effort. This approach conveys humility and a willingness to contribute without ego.
Recommendation: Practice these types of responses with a trusted friend, mentor, or coach. Mock interviews can help you refine your delivery and build confidence in addressing weaknesses while highlighting your strengths.
Own Your Strengths First
Before diving into areas where you need growth, establish a solid foundation of your strengths. For instance, if you’re transitioning from firefighting to operations management, begin by emphasizing skills like crisis management, team coordination, and decision-making under pressure.
Balancing vulnerability with a strong showcase of your strengths ensures that you’re perceived as capable and confident, not unprepared.
Recommendation: Create a “strengths inventory.” Write down your top skills and experiences, then think about how they translate to your new career. Use this inventory as a foundation for interviews and networking conversations.
Prepare Responses for “What Are Your Weaknesses?”
This dreaded question is almost guaranteed to appear in job interviews, so don’t leave your answer to chance. Instead, craft a response that highlights both your self-awareness and your commitment to improvement.
Example: “One area I’m actively working on is [specific skill]. For example, in my previous role as a police officer, I didn’t have extensive exposure to [area]. To address this, I’ve been [specific action, like taking courses, attending workshops, or shadowing professionals]. I’m excited to continue this growth in your organization.”
Preparedness shows professionalism and confidence. Employers appreciate candidates who can turn challenges into opportunities.
Recommendation: Tailor your response to each role you’re applying for. Focus on weaknesses that are relevant but not deal-breakers, and always pair them with actionable solutions.
Anticipate Hindrances and Overcome Them
Admitting what you don’t know can be intimidating, especially for those used to being experts in their field. Pride, fear of rejection, or impostor syndrome may hold you back. But remember: vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. Overcoming these hindrances not only boosts your confidence but also builds trust with potential employers.
Recommendation: Reframe vulnerability as an opportunity to connect. Practice your responses, remind yourself of your strengths, and focus on the long-term benefits of authenticity in your career transition.
As a veteran or first responder, you’ve faced challenges that demand courage and adaptability. Transitioning to civilian life is no different. By admitting what you don’t know and framing it as an opportunity for growth, you position yourself as an authentic, self-aware leader ready to tackle new challenges with confidence.
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Medium Range Group: Talk About Lessons Learned
For those five or so years away from transitioning, the focus isn’t just about what comes next; it’s about making your current role meaningful while building a foundation for the future. Authentic leadership begins with reflection—taking stock of what you’ve experienced, the lessons you’ve learned, and how you can share that wisdom with others. Hosting “Lessons Learned” sessions. Put together opportunities where younger members of your team, your peers, or anyone interested can talk with you and learn from you. This allows you to hone your leadership skills, create a legacy in your current organization, and prepare for the narrative you’ll share during future job searches.
Here’s how to implement this strategy and make it impactful for your current role and your future career.
Reflect for Personal Growth Before Sharing
Before you can share lessons with others, it’s essential to reflect on your own journey. What are the key moments in your career that shaped your values, decision-making, and resilience? Think about your biggest challenges, your proudest accomplishments, and even the mistakes that taught you something invaluable.
Start by asking yourself:
What situations pushed me to grow as a leader?
What did I learn from moments of success?
How have setbacks strengthened my problem-solving skills?
Reflection not only clarifies your personal story for future interviews but also deepens your self-awareness. These insights will shape how you guide and inspire others in your current role.
Recommendation: Dedicate time weekly or monthly to jot down reflections in a journal. This habit will serve as a resource when crafting stories for lessons learned sessions or job applications.
Frame Sessions as Leadership Legacy Building
Think of these sessions as your opportunity to leave a lasting impact. By sharing your experiences, you provide actionable guidance for colleagues and juniors who will carry on the work you’ve started. For example, if you’re a firefighter, you might share how you managed crises under pressure and built trust with your team during emergencies. Discussing these experiences not only imparts wisdom to others but also positions you as a thoughtful leader.
A strong leadership legacy enhances your reputation, which can lead to higher quality recommendations and references for your transition.
Recommendation: Schedule informal “Lessons Learned” sessions with your team. These could be monthly gatherings where you share insights, encourage discussion, and provide actionable takeaways. Over time, this practice can evolve into a formal initiative, further solidifying your leadership role.
Balance Successes with Failures
Be real about your journey—both the highs and the lows. Sharing failures can feel vulnerable, but it’s often where the most impactful lessons lie. For example, discussing a time you made a mistake in decision-making but learned and corrected shows humility and resilience.
Use this framework to share:
What happened: Briefly describe the situation.
How you responded: Highlight the actions you took, even if they weren’t perfect.
What you learned: Emphasize the growth or lesson.
How you applied it going forward: Share how the experience changed your approach in future situations.
Vulnerability builds trust and credibility. Acknowledging failures demonstrates your ability to learn and adapt—key traits employers and colleagues value.
Recommendation: Prepare at least two or three examples of both successes and failures. Practice articulating them in a way that highlights growth and leadership, as these stories will be invaluable during interviews and networking.
Public Speaking
Leading “Lessons Learned” sessions is an excellent way to develop your presentation skills, which are crucial for job interviews, networking events, and future leadership roles. The more you practice articulating your thoughts in a group setting, the more confident you’ll become. Start small, perhaps with a group of trusted peers, and gradually expand to larger audiences. Focus on speaking authentically and engaging your audience through relatable anecdotes.
Public speaking is a transferable skill that enhances your ability to inspire and lead, no matter your career path.
Recommendation: Record yourself presenting or ask someone you trust for feedback. Look for ways to improve clarity, tone, and engagement.
Gather Constructive Feedback
Every leader has blind spots, and receiving feedback is essential for growth. After hosting a session, ask participants for input on your communication style, leadership approach, and the relevance of the lessons you shared. Be genuine and ask for honest feedback. Put your ego aside and take the feedback positively.
Constructive feedback not only helps you refine your skills but also demonstrates your commitment to growth—a quality that will serve you well in your current and future roles.
Recommendation: Act on the feedback you receive. If participants suggest that you could be more concise or relatable, use those insights to improve future sessions.
How This Prepares You for Transition
Sharing your lessons today has significant long-term benefits. By reflecting on your journey and presenting your experiences, you’re essentially crafting your career narrative—a key element of successful job applications and interviews. You might hesitate to lead these sessions out of fear of judgment, lack of time, or the belief that your experiences aren’t valuable enough to share. But remember: every challenge you’ve faced holds wisdom that can benefit someone else. Overcoming these barriers isn’t just about helping others—it’s about recognizing and owning your value as a leader.
When it’s time to transition, you’ll have a well-defined personal story, a polished ability to articulate your strengths, and a demonstrated track record of leadership. These skills will set you apart in job interviews and make you a compelling candidate for any civilian role.
By hosting “Lessons Learned” sessions, you’re not only shaping your team’s growth today but also preparing yourself for tomorrow. These sessions allow you to lead authentically, build your legacy, and cultivate skills that will serve you long after your transition.
Long Range Group: Be Honest but Be Empathetic
For those a decade or more away from transitioning, the idea of preparing for civilian life may seem distant. However, the habits and skills you build today can shape the trajectory of your career and make your eventual transition smoother and more successful. Learning how to be honest while showing empathy in professional feedback—offers a powerful way to develop authentic leadership, build trust, and foster growth in yourself and those around you.
Build Emotional Intelligence Through Feedback
Having candor requires balancing honesty with care. It’s about delivering clear, direct feedback while considering the recipient’s perspective and feelings. For example, instead of avoiding a difficult conversation, you might say:
“I value the effort you’ve put into this project, but I noticed [specific issue]. Here’s how we can improve together moving forward.”
This approach strengthens your emotional intelligence, allowing you to navigate challenging situations with empathy and tact. Emotional intelligence is a cornerstone of leadership, helping you build stronger relationships and more cohesive teams.
As you progress in your career, the ability to provide meaningful feedback will enhance your leadership presence and prepare you to handle diverse personalities and environments in civilian roles.
Recommendation: Start practicing active listening and empathy during feedback discussions. Ask questions to understand others’ viewpoints, and use “I” statements to express your observations constructively.
Identify Patterns in Communication Styles
Feedback isn’t one-size-fits-all. Pay attention to how your colleagues and subordinates respond to different types of feedback. Some may prefer directness, while others might need more encouragement and reassurance.
For instance, if a team member struggles with meeting deadlines, you could say:
“I noticed you’ve been having difficulty meeting deadlines. Is there something we can adjust to support you better?”
By observing patterns in communication, you’ll learn to tailor your approach to different personalities, making you a more versatile and effective leader. Remember, a leader is not just rank, you can be a leader among your peers – even if you’re the same rank.
Understanding how to adapt your feedback style is a critical skill that prepares you for leadership roles in diverse civilian industries.
Recommendation: Keep a journal of your feedback interactions. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve your approach for different individuals.
Develop Resilience to Receive Feedback
Being honest and empathetic isn’t just about giving feedback—it’s about being open to receiving it as well. Learning to accept constructive criticism without defensiveness can be challenging but incredibly rewarding. Seek out peers, mentors, or subordinates who are willing to offer honest feedback about your leadership style. This willingness to grow not only builds emotional resilience but also demonstrates humility and a commitment to improvement.
Accepting feedback gracefully helps you identify blind spots and become a more self-aware leader—an essential quality for navigating civilian careers.
Recommendation: Practice responding to feedback by thanking the person for their input, even if it’s critical. Reflect on the feedback later and identify actionable steps to address it.
Incorporate Feedback into Skill-Building
Use the feedback you receive to identify areas where you can grow. For example, if someone highlights a need for better delegation skills, take on projects that challenge you to delegate more effectively.
Pair feedback with measurable goals to track your progress. For instance:
If you’re told to improve public speaking, join a Toastmasters club or volunteer for presentations.
If feedback highlights technical skills, enroll in relevant courses or certifications.
Addressing skill gaps early prepares you for leadership opportunities today and ensures you’re well-equipped for future civilian roles.
Recommendation: Regularly review your career goals and assess how the feedback you’ve received aligns with the skills you’ll need in your next phase.
Create a Long-Term Personal Development Plan
This isn’t just about immediate feedback; it’s a tool for long-term growth. Use it to assess your current abilities and set goals for the future. Focus on skills that may not seem critical today but could become essential in a civilian career, such as financial literacy, public speaking, or technology proficiency.
A personal development plan helps you take deliberate steps toward your career goals, ensuring you’re prepared for new opportunities when the time comes.
Recommendation: Review your plan annually, adjusting it based on feedback, career changes, or new aspirations.
Hindrances and How to Overcome Them
Learning to be honest, but being empathetic can feel uncomfortable, especially if you’re used to hierarchical structures where questioning authority or giving direct feedback is discouraged, or if you can’t put your ego away to accept negative feedback. Fear of conflict or damaging relationships may hold you back.
Overcoming these barriers isn’t just about improving your feedback skills; it’s about building confidence and emotional resilience that will serve you throughout your career.
Recommendation: Start out being honest, but focusing on being empathetic in low-stakes situations, such as giving feedback on a group project or asking for input on a task. Over time, you’ll grow more comfortable with honest, empathetic communication.
By embracing being honest, but being empathetic, you’ll not only strengthen your leadership today but also prepare yourself for the challenges of tomorrow. This practice builds emotional intelligence, enhances your ability to navigate complex team dynamics, and equips you with the tools needed for a seamless transition into civilian roles.
Closing: Leading Authentically, Building a Future
The journey from military or first responder careers to civilian life is more than a career shift; it’s an opportunity to redefine yourself as a leader and contributor in new environments. Authentic leadership—embracing vulnerability, honesty, and transparency—is a powerful tool for creating meaningful connections and inspiring growth in yourself and others. The Transition Drill Podcast is the best podcast for military veterans, police officers, firefighters, and first responders preparing for veteran transition and life after service. Helping you plan and implement strategies to prepare for your transition into civilian life.
For those in the Close Range Group, admitting what you don’t know and positioning it as an opportunity for growth can set you apart in job interviews and networking. The Medium Range Group can create lasting impact and develop leadership narratives through “Lessons Learned” sessions, preparing for tomorrow while leading today. The Long Range Group, meanwhile, can cultivate skills for their future through empathetic honesty, strengthening their ability to provide and receive feedback.
Regardless of where you are on your journey, the steps you take now are about more than transition—they’re about building a foundation for lifelong growth and fulfillment. Your service has prepared you with resilience, adaptability, and leadership. By embracing these authentic strategies, you’ll lead not just through action but through connection, creating a legacy that inspires others and prepares you for the opportunities ahead.
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