To start off with what has already become a cliche, 2020 has been a rough year. As we enter these last couple of months, with many of us still in at least partial lock-down, it can be very easy to feel completely run down and out of breath. Those of us in sales world are having a uniquely difficult time due to an uncertain and equally worn out market. Between an election year, the novel and disruptive COVID-19 virus, and the upcoming holiday season, many people and companies are doing exactly what one would expect: Hunkering down for winter. Something we cannot lose, however, even with all the Zoom fatigue and evaporating budgets and constantly retreating goal posts, is our ability to truly listen to what people are saying to us. 

In 2006, I was stationed in Baqubah, Iraq as a Combat Videographer in the United States Air Force. In that role, I was attached to Army units with the 4^th Infantry Division and 10^th Special Forces Group, along with other American and Iraqi military units. It was one of the best and one of the hardest experiences of my life. I think most people who have served in the military—especially if they’ve served in an active warzone—would agree that they’re better people for having lived through some of those moments. I have since left the Air Force, but I am certain today that military service has made me and millions of other veterans throughout the country stronger candidates in the civilian workforce for three key reasons.