Retaking Life

Since 2001, our best and brightest men and women have continuously fought against asymmetrical threats in Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Horn of Africa, and other undisclosed locations around the world. We do not hear them complain even though they have a lot to complain about if they so choose. But what happens when they decide to serve in such capacities no longer?

Those who have spent years in the military know that transitioning into the civilian world is not easy. Yes, the military does it’s best to prepare our troops for civilian transition. The military transition assistance programs are marginal at best. Yes, jobs can be found and relocation assistance can be obtained as well as other tactical venues needed to support the troops soon to become civilians–but very little is done to support their strategic success.

Recently, I have come in contact with an individual who is a “Life Skills Coach.” I must admit that I knew nothing about life skills coaching. In fact, part of me initially felt as though it was some lovey, touchy, feels good psychological nonsense. Let’s just say, at first, I wasn’t sold on life skills coaching at all.

Needless to say, I was provided a “free trial,” if you will. My coach has allowed me an opportunity to explore the world of life skills coaching in great detail. And I admit that coaching is a process–and it’s a very obvious one. Regrettably, due to the fast paced world in which we live, I have found that we often times don’t take the needed deep breadth to truly observe the world around us capitalizing on the obvious.

The world in which we live is filled with incredible opportunities. With every opportunity comes an ability to leverage for success. That success though is what we want it to be. Some success is greater than others while some are also quicker to obtain than others.

Like most of my government training in fulfilling certain tasks, I cannot articulate the process of actual life skills coaching. It’s not that I cannot divulge the information due to security purposes; rather, I just do not know how to articulate them. I am not a coach rather a student. What I can articulate is the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of men and women in America that certainly can benefit from a life skills coach. And those that come immediately to my mind are the men and women transitioning from the military into civilian life along with their loved ones. (This last statement is not made claiming all of these persons need a coach however.)

In fact, coaching has become so recognized in its worth by the U.S. government, certified coaches are now being recruited in some of the most secretive organizations to better assist our national security. Most recently, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has taken coaching to a new level within their leadership. This approach has been recognized as the Agency has just obtained the 2010 Prism Award for excellence in leadership coaching initiatives.

Coaching is not just about life skills. It is also about leadership and the ways in which we align ourselves so we can observe opportunities and realize the means into leveraging them to better our desired endstate goals. Our own government institutions realize the value in coaching. Maybe it’s time that such skillsets are taught not just to our executives but also our warriors and their families to ensure they meet their own full, life long, potentials. They deserve the best and life skills coaching can assist them in achieving the best in which they desire.

Kerry Patton has served in the U.S. Defense and Justice departments, and as a contractor within the Homeland Security and State departments. He has worked in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, focusing on intelligence and security interviewing current and former terrorists, including members of the Taliban. He is the author of “Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies” and the children’s book “American Patriotism.”