I enjoyed the privilege of leading ‘one of Australia’s premier military ensembles’ as the Director of Music of the Royal Australian Navy Band from July 2002 until January 2012. Now, I own and operate a small printing franchise, Minuteman Press Liverpool.
When I left the Royal Australian Navy I was confronted with a big sea change. Fortunately, I quickly discovered that the values of the organisation that I had just left were present within the Minuteman Press culture and this made the transition much easier. I also discovered that I had a range of skill sets that were easily transposed into the civilian small business environment.
I know, from personal experience, that veterans can easily transfer the skills and knowledge that they have gained from their military experience into owning and operating a small business. This is the first of a series of short articles where I will be drawing upon my military experience to highlight the similarities between military doctrine and procedure with the skills sets required for owning and operating a small business. I hope that these articles will provide useful guidance for veterans who may be considering a change in sea state, but also for small business entrepreneurs as they navigate through the many challenges of small business ownership.
Inspired Thoughts Create Inspired Dreams
During a presentation that I gave to a workshop on the Dr Demartini Method[1], I unravelled a quote by Dr Demartini: 'Inspired thoughts create inspired dreams'. In military speak, those words translate to 'Inspired mission creates inspired vision'. However, if we want to succeed in business (and in life) we need more than just vision and mission statements and we need more than inspired thoughts and inspired dreams. We need to act, and we do that with the help of clearly articulated goals and well-defined strategies. However, we should also be cognisant that those goals and strategies are embraced and supported by a culture made up of values and beliefs.
According to Dr Demartini; 'Values are like fingerprints'. We all have values, or things that are important to us. No two people have the same set of values and no one's values are right or wrong. What is most important is where you will be most focused, structured, energised and interested. My point here is—your purpose is driven by your values. When you recognize and take action according to your values, you expand and empower your life. Those values and beliefs constitute Who You Are and What You Stand For. It’s your values and beliefs that drive you to succeed, and this applies at the individual level and the organisational level.
When I became the Royal Australian Navy’s 8th Director of Music I knew that the Navy Band had to change if it was to continue to have the support of Navy’s senior leadership team. The band needed to renew; so we set about determining ‘where we were headed’.[2] Consequently, the ‘one band’ concept was born and this gave my team its strategic advantage, it enabled our success, and it delivered the band its world-class reputation for excellence in musical services to Navy.
I conclude this first short article with the following questions, and I believe that the answers will provide insight into your success at work and in life:
Who Are You, What Do You Stand For, and Where Are You Headed?
[1] See https://drdemartini.com/demartini_method
[2] Commander P.C. Anderson OAM RAN, A Musical Voyage, Royal Australian Navy, 16 January 2012, p. 19.
Comments