[00:00:00] Speaker A: I'm speaking with Lindsey Streeter, senior vice President of Global Military affairs at bank of America. Lindsey, thanks so much for taking some time for me. Really do appreciate it, sir.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Matt, happy to be here.
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Well, I am very happy to have you as well. We are airing this, of course, just right after Veterans Day, and it's an important thing to discuss about the value that veterans bring to our workplaces in civilian life each and every day. Actually, the Department of Labor says, I think about 180,000 service members transition to civilian life each year. Talk, if you will, about that. Just sheer number of people and the skills that they bring to the workplace.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, Matt, 180k. Yeah, large number. And we're finding that about 18 to 20% of them begin their own businesses. So large number of entrepreneurs there and they need help as well in understanding how to gain access to capital and how to network in that business space. The skillset Veterans as a whole bring a myriad of skills both soft and hard. But in any veteran, you'll find there are about 10 or 12 skills that are inherited with just being a veteran. You're going to get a leader. You're going to get a person that's a leader. More importantly, a person that understands the importance of followership. You're going to get a guy that's deep in teamwork. You get a young lady that's able to communicate. You're going to get a service member that's able to problem solve no matter what the situation is. They're going to bring strong work ethic, integrity, adaptability, and a myriad of managerial skills to the table. So you're getting, you're getting a valuable person, a valuable teammate to bring into your organization if you hire a veteran.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: Yeah, it definitely sounds that way from my personal experience as well. All those qualities, the veterans that I have known, they all possess. My dad was a Vietnam veteran and he, he possessed all of those qualities throughout his life as well. But you know, taking those skills that you learn during military service and then transferring that to the maybe corporate workplace or just civilian life in general, what are maybe some challenges that veterans face in making that transition?
[00:02:26] Speaker B: Yeah, Matt, you just named it. The biggest challenge is actually transferring those skills, understanding how those skill apply in the civilian workforce, huge opportunity. Military members, their military occupational specialties or jobs are written in jargon, military jargon. They're written in a unique language.
And so when it comes time to transition, a lot of times the veteran doesn't understand how to make the translation or how to really see and represent Themselves in this newly translated manner. They don't have the confidence to really represent themselves in this manner because they're just seeing it for the first time. And so what we've done at bank of America is we hired a veteran centric recruiter, a veteran himself that was a recruiter while in the military. And his job is to help those transitioning veterans to unpack those skill sets. He meets with hiring managers and he ensures that there's a right fit coming in the front door. And I believe that's really crucial. It allows the veteran to quickly assimilate by applying skills that they already feel comfortable in doing. And they feel like they're a valued member of the team because they're able to provide input and effectiveness. Day one, walking in the door. So it seems to work for us.
[00:03:58] Speaker A: That's wonderful. And also talk about your own transition into bank of America from the military. What was your personal experience in the things that you learned, maybe going through that process, and how you were able to apply the skills, all of those different skills that you mentioned earlier and more, I'm sure how that's translated to your success. Now you're now senior vice President of Global Military affairs there at BofA. Obviously, it's been a successful transition for you.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a challenge, more mental challenge than any other. You know, I enlisted in the army at 17 years old. I was scared young kid out of Washington, D.C. 31 years later, I was horrified. I was horrified in the notion that I was leaving everything that I knew and understood and had mastered and going to move on into a civilian job somewhere. And so, on a recommendation to bank of America, I interviewed the bank before the bank had the opportunity to interview me. And I did that by understanding what his mission and vision statements were, looking at its core values. And that really hooked me there. I knew that I came to the table, Matt, with seven army values that were put into me. They were. They had become a part of the very fabric and fiber who I was. And I knew I couldn't shake those values. And so I overlaid those values with bank of America's core values. And I found that they were a perfect match. Upon understanding that they were a match, I was then armed with the confidence in knowing that no matter where I landed or what I was going to be asked to do by my leadership here at bank of America, I was going to be.
So that was my experience with transitioning.
[00:05:50] Speaker A: Well, that's wonderful and as I say, obviously been a very successful one for you. Just about time, Lindsay. For us to wrap things up here, though. But anything else that you wanted to mention that comes to mind? Any veterans who might be listening, some words of encouragement as they transition into the workplace?
[00:06:09] Speaker B: Yeah. I would like them to understand that they can contact the U.S. chamber of Commerce if they're looking for opportunities if they want to come to bank of America. Our opportunities are
[email protected] I would also let them know that they can be confident in knowing that America cares about the value and the sacrifice of their veterans and they want to welcome them with open arms and provide opportunities for them to continue their employment so they can take care of their families.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: Very good. Lindsey Streeter is senior vice president of Global Military affairs at bank of America. I also neglected to mention he was The Military Times 2023 Veteran of the Year. So congratulation on that, I guess belatedly here on my part. But Lindsay, thank you so much. I really do appreciate your time, sir.
[00:06:55] Speaker B: Cool. Matt, thanks for having me.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: Thank you.
