U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christine Harvey is on a mission: Transition into the civilian working world.
I first met Chris Harvey at the 2009 Business Women’s Forum in Hartford, CT. It was hard not to notice her commanding presence and radiant energy. She is what I call a “motivated leader.” We have since networked together quite a bit and I am motivated to help her accomplish her “mission” in whatever way that I can. In my opinion, she is the kind of principled leader that “civilian” businesses need.
New York Daily News columnist, Carolyn Kepcher, highlighted Christine Harvey in her on-line column on February 8, 2010.
“Harvey is set to retire from the Army in nine months, and she realizes she’s entering a phase of life that will differ dramatically from the past 25 years. She joined the Army when she was 18 and moved up the ranks, enormously satisfied with the life of a career soldier.
Now a professor of military science at the University of Connecticut, Harvey is approaching her mission with the skill, dedication and positive attitude instilled in her by her military service. As a job candidate, Harvey brings quite a bit to the table.” reports Kepcher.
The action steps laid out by Christine Harvey serve as an excellent field manual for anyone contemplating a big career change. Included are major strategies including:
- Educating yourself on the ways of the new world you plan to enter;
- Preparing yourself including finding people that would be willing to let you observe them at work and answer your questions about their responsibility;
- Collaborating with others. Remember that you can accomplish far more as the member of a team than on your own. This is where networking comes into play;
- Executing the plan by setting a specific target date to make the big leap.
