A Higher Standard by Ann Dunwoody

Author:Ann Dunwoody [Dunwoody, Ann; Collins, Tomago; Sandberg, Sheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780738217802
Publisher: Da Capo Press

seven

THE MIRROR, MIRROR SYNDROME

Leverage the Power of Diversity

ONCE YOU RETIRE FROM the Army the first few days of rest are a godsend. I never realized how truly tired I was until I was freed from the 0500 alarm that announced the beginning of every new duty day. After the first week of late sleep-ins I was able to establish a more comfortable up-with-the-sun routine. Nothing bugged me more than the get-up-in-the-dark, run-in-the-dark ritual that was my life all those years. After a few weeks of rest and a more comfortable routine, I started to wonder whether my cell phone still worked. That was okay with me—for the first time in my adult life I knew that everything I did would be on my own terms and in my own time. At least that’s what I expected for my transition to civilian life—walking on a beach near you. But as soon as word of my retirement spread, the recruiting began—phone calls, letters, and e-mails from headhunters, corporations, universities, and defense contractors: Would you be interested in joining our team? Have you considered being a consultant? You would be perfect for our PAC. We’re looking for talented female leaders with diverse and accomplished backgrounds.

The overtures were part-flattering and part–kissing up. I wasn’t ready to jump into academia or corporate America. I wanted some me-time and long-overdue QT with my family and friends. Immediately joining another company full time after thirty-eight years in a demanding business was a nonstarter. I didn’t want to get back on the same treadmill I just got off. No one becomes Bill Gates or Donald Trump by working in the military. Few people know that salaries are capped after you make two stars and that you have to sell or divest any defense stocks you may have purchased for investments. We even had to get rid of one of my all-time favorite stocks, Disney, because they did business with the government. Apple stock had to be sold as well. If folks joined the Army for the money, we would be a much smaller army. However, I am not ungrateful for the exciting, challenging, and patriotic life I led in the Army, and I am grateful for the retirement benefits I have. I appreciate the health care provided by the military until Medicare kicks in, access to military facilities such as commissaries and base exchanges, and a pension for the rest of my life. Additionally, four decades in the ultrarigid structure afforded some financial flexibility and freedom. However, the point is still one worth considering: we pay our military “CEOs” far less than concomitant business leaders receive . . . that is the price of service. I wouldn’t trade the lifetime of service to our country for a higher paying job—there is no better job than service in the military!

The phone keeps ringing. My husband always takes the call and jots down a message. He’ll Google the company calling and then peek into my office. “Hey babe, looks like another board of angry, old white dudes,” he’ll joke.

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