Joseph is a graduate of The Citadel and he worked as a Medical Logistics Officer. He helped to build medical sets, kits and outfits; packaging and delivering them to various facilities throughout the world. Before this, he spent two years in Korea as a company commander in a distribution center. He also spent the summer of 2003 in Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar outfitting and redeploying medical units.
Joseph is studying for an MBA with a focus in Supply Chain Management and a secondary focus in Corporate Finance. After he completes his MBA studies, he will return to the U.S. Army to a position in the same field with a higher level of responsibility. In this new position he will work more with software and the information systems that manage the processes he worked on in his last assignment.
How was your transition from the military into the school environment?
I really did a lot of research, so I was certain about the school I wanted to go to. You want to be happy where you are. You spend a tremendous amount of time at school and with your classmates. Selecting your school is more than just "Are you smart enough?" If you aren't a good fit for the school or, vice versa, if the school isn't a right fit for you it will be like trying to shove a square peg in a round hole—discomfort for both parties. I see how some of my classmates struggle because the fit just isn't right. Selecting a school is not just about rankings and reputation, it is even more important to consider fit.
I thought it was pretty easy to transition into the school environment. I treated it like a job, working 8 to 5. As far as the workload goes, it was more work—a very different kind of work.
Adjusting to the workload is where my military background helped me the most. You are not required to go to class. The time management and self-discipline I learned in the military made this transition easier.
The biggest transition was adjusting to not being around other military people. It was a big environmental change. I'm not wearing a uniform every day. I'm not saying it was difficult; it was a nice transition. But I did have to understand that people will not understand me when I use military terminology or might not assign the same priority I do to managing time.
The caliber of my classmates was better than what I expected. Everyone is unique, and we have different priorities (I have a family; few of my classmates do). Still, there is an excellent team environment and this is something I really enjoy. I wasn't expecting the team environment to be so prominent; I thought the thinking would be more "me first," but that is definitely not the case.
I figured I'd be in a room with "Type A's." I thought I would be able to sit back and let them fight for the lead, but instead I found out that I need to act more as a facilitator.
You know who is good at what (quantitative, marketing), and you see what people's strengths are. It is like being a stagecoach driver and knowing where to position each of your horses—you have to keep the project on track and you do so by utilizing people's strengths and weaknesses appropriately. I'm using more leadership skills here in the MBA program than I expected.
In some instances the military gives you a certain level of credibility. I thought people would doubt and test me, but when I step in with solutions, people listen.
My military experience has been more useful than I thought it would be.
How will you transition from the school environment back into the military?
It will be easy; I've been in the military for over 10 years. Instead of hitting the books at night, I'll be playing with the kids.
As far as what I've learned, I will be returning to the military with more knowledge and a better understanding of cause and effect in the supply chain. I'll take best business practices and apply them to the military and to how we support our customers.
