FROM THE SQUADRON TO SOFTWARE

HOW CULTURE PROVIDES THE LIFT YOU NEED

The first day of this year was my first day as a military veteran. Having been privileged to serve 23 years in the Royal Air Force, I decided 2020 was the right time to pursue a new challenge in the corporate world. At the end of January, I was given an amazing opportunity by a company I had admired for several years - Salesforce. Since then, I have been meaning to write a few words about my transition to the private sector.

Mindful that it has been several months since I have talked about Translating Service, what better time to reflect on my journey from the Squadron to Software, than Armed Forces week?

My early days at Salesforce have seen me attend many virtual meetings and training events. In several ‘ice-breakers’ I have been asked, ‘why would a fighter pilot choose to become a sales executive’? It’s a fair question. If one considers the fundamentals of the two roles, there is little similarity. However, if you reframe the question to, ‘why would a former military officer join Salesforce’, my transition is much easier to explain. The answer boils down to one simple word – culture.

As I considered my first job in the Private Sector, my top priority was company culture. Hence, Salesforce was a natural choice. The Salesforce culture is encapsulated by the spirit of Ohana (family) and it has pervaded through every interaction in my first 5-months in the Business. Having joined the company within days of COVID-19 arriving in the UK, I have spent 4-months working from home. That has meant that most of my on-boarding and networking, with new colleagues and customers, has been conducted through virtual means. Whilst this constraint might have choked my induction, the Ohana has provided me with the confidence to learn and grow quickly.

Throughout my 23-years in uniform, I was always proud of our inclusive military ethos, our unified purpose and our selfless dedication to our team. Whilst I expected the corporate environment to feel different, I have been delighted to experience a culture that puts the team and society before the individual, in the pursuit of improving the world. The inclusivity and support of Saleforce’s Ohana have been every bit as strong as they were in my military network, and are epitomised by our Equality Groups.

Salesforce's 12 Equality groups, might be considered as families within a clan. They are places for like-minded people to convene and to support each other. However, they are not exclusive. Ultimately, they are established to educate allies and to build empathy throughout the organisation. Vetforce is one of the 12. It's a group of veterans, service family members and allies, who are passionate about supporting our Armed Forces – including helping people from a military background as they transition to civilian life. Vetforce's efforts in this field have assisted Salesforce to become a signatory to the UK Armed Forces Covenant.

Having received excellent support from Vetforce UK during my career transition, I was delighted to join the team in my first few days as a Salesforce employee. As COVID caused the entire company to retreat from our offices, and the physical isolation began, the unity of my Equality group only increased. Within days, our Vetforce UK committee resolved to make a positive contribution to the EMEA Ohana; to complement the phenomenal Employee Wellbeing programme that had been instigated by the Salesforce leadership.

Mindful that the military trains its people to handle crises, Vetforce UK wanted to help our colleagues to develop the right mindset to negotiate our current challenge. Hence, “Pull Up a Sandbag” was born; a weekly webinar that introduces inspirational people from the military community, to showcase how ‘ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things’ when the pressure is on. All of our “PUAS” guests have provided fantastic insight into the values that military life instils – such as trust, resilience, leadership, creativity and equality. To date, we have welcomed over 250 Salesforce colleagues to nine events and have provided 800+ individual hours of engaging discussion to help our Ohana to enhance their mental health.

The month of June throws a spotlight on equality in the UK. Current affairs in 2020 have meant that conversations around race and equality have, rightly, been the focal point of our immediate attention. In response, the PUAS team were proud to join forces with our allies at BOLDforce (Salesforce's Equality Group for employees of African descent), to deliver a germane session with the British Army BAME Network. However, annually June is an important time for many equality groups. It is the month that the nation recognises Pride, Learning Disabilities, Juneteenth and the Armed Forces. I am proud that my new professional home commits support to all such events and encourages all of our Ohana to engage in the inclusive activities – to learn more about our colleagues and ourselves.

Therefore, whilst a small part of me is sorry not to be wearing my uniform this Armed Forces Day, my overriding sense is gratitude for joining such an in inclusive and innovative organisation, just before the World locked down. Also, I am proud to be surrounded by new friends and allies in Vetforce UK, who continue to make a positive contribution to company culture, reflecting the strong values we learned in the military, despite the pressures of 2020.

Without question, my first 5-months at Salesforce has validated my decision to pursue an ‘unfamiliar’ career in a ‘strange’ new field. Whilst my new job is totally different to flying jets, the organisation feels as comfortable as my favourite old flight suit. Notwithstanding CEO Marc Benioff’s mantra that, ‘the business of business is to improve the state of the world’, at a personal level, the Salesforce culture and the Vetforce UK team have provided me with meaningful purpose and a sense of community, despite being a rookie who is learning the ropes ‘in isolation’.

The Salesforce Ohana has helped me to learn to fly in a whole new way.

#veterans #military #transition #armedforcesday #careers #vetforce #opportunity #salesforce

(Andy Wright is a retired RAF fighter pilot and squadron commander. He is now a Strategic Account Executive at Salesforce EMEA - working in the Health and Life Sciences vertical. He is a member of Vetforce UK’s Committee, responsible for Ohana Growth. The Vetforce mission is to foster Equality through recruitment, employment, training and mentorship of veterans and their families. If you would like to become a Vetforce ally, or if you know someone who might need Salesforce’s support to advance their career in the Private Sector – please reach out).

© All text belongs to - Andrew J Wright – Translating Service. The ideas and opinions expressed here are those of the author and are not endorsed by Salesforce.