Personal Brand Trends After the World Shutdown with Lida Citroen

Warriors, Fall In! It's Time for Formation!

In this episode, I'm once again, honored to have a guest that is very authentic in her mission and overall career purpose. She has the military mentor hours and the overall time and energy to prove her value within our military community.

Mrs. Lida Citroën is joining us this week! Just who is Lida? Well, she's an Executive Brand Strategist, TEDx Speaker, Executive Coach, 5x Author, LinkedIn Learning Instructor, Veterati Mentor, and Military Transition Specialist.

She has been featured in many publications and presentations to include:

·      Inc.

·      Forbes

·      Entrepreneur

·      Bloomberg

·      MSNBC

·      Google

·      Act Now Education

·      And was a TedX Speaker

Lida's Website: https://www.lida360.com

LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lida360/

Transcript

KP : 0:00

This episode is powered by ACT NOW Education, go to www.actnoweducation.com for free comprehensive educational resources and opportunities for active duty, veterans, military spouses, and children.

Lida Citroen: 0:16

And the team did something at halftime that changed my life. They brought some Fort Carson soldiers out to talk about military transition, that everything they were saying, it was like in this crowd of 1000s, they were just talking to me. And it was one of those moments, I could actually say I felt called to do something.

KP : 0:45

Warriors fall in, it's time for formation. So today's guest truly doesn't need an introduction. But I'm gonna give you one anyways, because she has a very extensive career, helping out the military community. And so far, in her own personal career, she's been an executive branch strategist. She's a very well renowned consultant, executive coach, keynote speaker, and she's an author. She has been featured in many publications and presentations to include Forbes, entrepreneur, Bloomberg, MSNBC, Google. And she's also served as a TEDx speaker. She's served as a veteran at mentor has served many of hours helping folks within our military community. And I'm very fortunate to have her again today with us on the morning formation. So I want to welcome Lisa Sutro into the morning formation podcast today. Thank you for giving us your time. Of course. Thank you for welcoming me back. Thank you, Lita. It's truly an honor to have interviewed you early on in my podcasting career. And also, it's been a true honor to have you in my network as well. And I've reached out to you several times for some help. And you've you've always came through with some of the best advice and some of the best connections as well. You've connected me with some folks out there like Cesar who, who's an expert himself. And so thank you for that. I really appreciate it.

Lida Citroen: 2:07

Of course, well, it's always wonderful when you can connect good people to good people, because something magical will happen.

KP : 2:15

Indeed, very much so. And when we talked last time, we were you know, at the time we were going through a pandemic. And since then, a lot has changed, things have opened up, people have gone back to work. And so it's a pretty dynamic time. So coming out of the pandemic. So far, what have you seen as far as the community coming together and making it happen on the career transition? Or even the Online Reputation side of it?

Lida Citroen: 2:42

Well, great question. I mean, I think during the pandemic, I know a lot of my coaching and mentoring calls with either active duty service members or veterans who have recently left the military. I've had a panic tone to them, right? This has got to be a terrible time to find a job, maybe I should go back in RAM list re up. And honestly, the timing couldn't have been better for somebody to come out of the military. Because if you think of, you know, one of the greatest strengths that we have in someone who has, has served in the United States Armed Forces, is the skills of resiliency and adaptability and dealing well under pressure, you know, working in high stress complex environments. And that's what we were facing during the pandemic. So my advice was always this is the perfect time to be a veteran looking for work, because the market needs you. You know, civilians like myself, were running around going, what is this? This isn't what we studied in business school, this isn't what we're used to overcoming obstacles and adapting to change is not our DNA, like it is somebody who has served. So the timing was really good. But now that we're on the other side, I think the culture has still maybe not caught up. If you think about the military culture, in the sense that there's still a lot of unknowns. What is remote work? What does a hybrid work environment mean? You know, for a lot of men and women coming out of uniform today, they're looking for an environment that resembles something they may have had in the military. And a lot of work environments have changed drastically. So not only do they have to find something that interests them, that supports their lifestyles and their, you know, in their preferred and non preferred goals, but it also has to fit there workstyle in a different way. And that kind of turned a lot of things on its end. So there's there's still a lot of flux and a lot of uncertainty, I think for those coming out of uniform today. But I would still say that the timing is great. Our country's not, you know, we're not riding high yet. And we're back to work but this cultural shift of uncertainty and and complexity and and all of that That unstable feeling, still is a value add for veterans in this market.

KP : 5:07

Yeah, that's actually a really good point. And over the years, I have seen people resign a career or what they thought was going to be the career, whether it be in the military or a civilian position that they had. And over the years, the folks that I have witnessed who have believed in themselves and their abilities and what they can and can't do and what they can achieve. I seen them over the years, make it, not just make it but kill it. As far as what their goals are, what would you say to someone out there, who is looking at possibly a career change, or whether that be getting out of the military, or maybe they're a veteran themselves, or military spouse who's looking at a career change, but they're sort of afraid of taking that dip and believing in themselves?

Lida Citroen: 5:56

Well, we call that a pivot, right. So when somebody goes from one career, or one focus, or one area of concentration to something really different, a doctor who becomes a public speaker, a teacher who goes with goes to law school and starts a new career, somebody coming out of the military, you know, going into being an investment banker, those are career pivots, and a couple things that you mentioned. First, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should, just because you know how to, you know, work on a on on a kilo, or you know how to operate up, you know, a heavy piece of equipment doesn't mean that's what you want to do after you come out of uniform. And similarly, just because you want to do something doesn't necessarily mean you should, right, you might want to do something that to get the skills and the certifications and qualifications would put you 1015 years out, and you don't have that kind of runway in terms of, you know, resources. So it's really a matter of balancing reality, in your dreams, there's room for both. But sometimes we have to think about that a little bit differently. But to make a pivot, to turn your ship in a new direction, is a fabulous experience. I mean, I went from 20 years in corporate, to starting my own company. I'd never started a company before, I knew a lot about business. But I'd never started a company. I've worked with many clients who wake up one morning and say, what I'm doing just doesn't do it for me anymore. You know, I make good money, and I get on the cover of magazines. But it's not it's that my heart isn't in it any longer. That's typically when somebody says I'm looking for something different. And thinking about, you know, what do I need to live on what is realistic? What is a dream that I can do in my part time versus I'm going to put my career towards it? There's some hard questions to ask. But the piece most people don't think about, and what I love to focus on, are the reputation assets. So let's say you woke up tomorrow and decided you wanted to open a catering business, right? Well, hopefully, we would hope you know how to cook, right? If you want to a food truck, right? Do you do have a truck. But thinking about the reputation piece, you'd want to inventory, who are the people you know, who might be able to help you get in front of investors, or help you get introduced to different culinary experts or people who could provide help navigating the permitting process or whatever, but you would look at your network and figure out who are the people that you know, that are valuable to know, in this new career. And similarly, there are going to be some people who fall out of that, right. So if you went from being a podcaster, to running a catering business, maybe some of your podcast guests that you stayed in touch with aren't as important from a career standpoint, going forward, you'd make the choice to sort of move them off to the side a little bit and focus on the ones who do. So reputational Lee, we have to think about what is our equity in this new career, you'd be able to leverage a lot of the skills you're a people person, you're outgoing, you're, you're well known, you have a recognizable name. These are assets that you could use to run a catering business. You see what I'm saying? And people don't think about that. They just think about, okay, I'm tired of this. I'll just completely shift over here. And I'll just leave everything behind. But there's so much you want to be able to bring with you. It's just not everything. Not every part of what you've done before comes across and thinking about that strategically, helps you to make a really smart decision.

KP : 9:43

Yeah, it's important to do your homework and your research for that for that important pivot, no doubt about it. And some of the folks that have done that have made those pivots before have done just that whether the research was in a business plan, or they were involved in networking or connecting with folks that could help with that pivot is extremely important. And I wanted to talk about social media. Because when you're talking about networking, and you're talking about connecting, and you're talking about doing a potential pivot, how important is it to be out there on social media and to embrace it? And how much of a violation is it to not be on professional social media accounts such as LinkedIn?

Lida Citroen: 10:21

You know, I, anytime I speak on the topic of online digital capital, reputation management and social, I always ask, is there anyone in the room who is not on any social platform? Usually, there's one or two little shy hands that go up in the back, right? And my next question is, is that job or career specific, right, because if you're doing some type of covert work, or you're in a position where being found is a risk, I completely get it right, you have a certain level of security clearance, or your employer says, We don't want people to know what your face looks like and what you're involved in, I totally get it. That is a very small fraction of the population that works in those jobs. So for most people, the reason that they would sheepishly raise their hand is they don't understand social media, they think it's a waste of time, because they don't understand social media, or they don't know how to do it. The world we live in today, as soon as I get a name, somebody mentions, I should know, this guy, KP, or I should look this person up, the first thing I'm going to do is either go to Google, or go to LinkedIn, and I'm going to type the name in, because I want to see what comes up. Now, if I go to Google is sort of a, guess what shows up because you might have a common name. There might be somebody else who's famous that has your same name, or there could be a variety of reasons, it's not as specific. But if I go to LinkedIn, when I'm going to see on LinkedIn, is exactly what you want me to see. I'm going to see the kinds of pictures you want me to see about you, I'm going to learn about your background, because I'm learning what you've told me. Nothing goes on to LinkedIn, unless you put it there. So if you think about the level of control that you have, it's unbelievable. It is a huge search engine. So you know, thinking about it, like a little micro website, you're putting information out there, it gives you the prompts, right? Describe your experience, tell us about you? What volunteer activities are you involved in, who are people that can vouch for you, but you're populating the information, nothing goes on LinkedIn, that you haven't approved, even a recommendation doesn't get posted before you approve it. So it's a huge missed opportunity to not be found there. And again, there can be a small percentage of people who do it for strategic career reasons that I mentioned before, but for most people, understanding the level of control that you have, and the opportunity to put information out there to start a conversation. It's amazing. And it's valuable, I love when somebody starts a brand new conversation with me and says, So I see that you grew up in this area, or I see that you went to the school, or I understand that you write for this publication, because I know where they got it. They didn't get that level of detail on my website, they got that on LinkedIn, and I put it there. So they would have a conversation starter. Maybe we grew up in the same area, maybe we know some of the same people. Maybe we're passionate about the same topics. That's why I put the information on LinkedIn. So you know, is it a safe place? Yeah, it's a heck of a lot safer than Twitter, or Instagram, TikTok, any of the ones that are more casual and relaxed. Because a lot can happen when people get casual and relaxed. LinkedIn is more buttoned up, it's more professional. So there's an element of professional decorum that happens on LinkedIn, which makes it a safer place, if somebody's going to venture onto social media, for them to become active.

KP : 14:02

Yeah, it's interesting that you say that there is a huge difference between Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, because I have tried my content. I've done like one content, one short video. And I'll post that on multiple platforms. And I noticed that LinkedIn doesn't necessarily embrace the type of content that you put on Instagram, for example, so totally got to be real careful. Totally different.

Lida Citroen: 14:30

And you never should. I mean, whenever somebody tells me, they just repurpose the same thing on all platforms. That's not the point. Because your Instagram followers are looking for a very different experience. Facebook is a completely different environment. LinkedIn should have something professional. So if you're across purposing, without modification, you're missing the whole point. It's not about reach. It's about engagement. It's about connection, and having specific goals. In fact, I wrote an article today about having some specific strategies for online positioning. Right? What is what is your goal? If you're a job seeker, it's probably to attract recruiters and hiring managers in the companies you want to work for. If you're building your visibility and reputation, it's brand building, but have a goal for while you're on social media, understand who your audience is, Who are you trying to get the attention of? And then where do those people hang out. Because if you're trying to find a job, and you're spending all your time on Instagram, most recruiters and hiring managers are not looking for candidates on Instagram. They are looking for them on LinkedIn. So think about it logically, it's a lot of time to spend on social media and not to have any type of strategy or objectives.

KP : 15:49

Yeah, and I did a real on that not too long ago on Instagram, where I was talking about wasting my time just scrolling on tick tock, and then, you know, an hour later, you know, looking back and being like, what did i What did I accomplish in the last hour, nothing. So you want to be you want to be directional, and you want to be intentful when it comes to some of the things that you do online, and purposeful, which I think is the underline of exactly what you just said, being purposeful in everything you do. And and for those folks out there listening who refuse to go online, refuse to create a social platform, especially on like things like LinkedIn. Think back to when the internet was first created. Some people out there, a lot of people out there thought that the internet was a fad, and it was gonna go away. All right, the social media, it's not gonna, it's not going away. It's getting bigger. All right, and it's gonna change. So you might as well embrace it, I had a conversation with someone today, it was a real estate agent. And he was interested in growing his Instagram and I looked at his Instagram account, and it had a whole bunch of generic still pictures on it. And I was trying to explain to him the differences between reels, stories versus posts. And it was I could tell that I wasn't quite getting through to him, and it was going to be a steep learning curve. And, you know, there's no better time to start than now if you don't know how to use the social media platforms out there. But Lida, you know, before I jump into talking about the military specific questions, for those of you for those of you out there who are just now listening to Lida for the very first time, I'd like for you later to talk about why you sort of positioned yourself to help out our military veterans, because I know you for a number of years, you were helping out large corporations, large companies, but take us back to that time where you had that, that that situation, I think it was at a Denver Broncos game, right?

Lida Citroen: 17:46

Yes, it was November 9 2009. You know, to set it up. When I started my company in 2008, right in the middle of the worst economy we had seen to date at that point. I knew that I wanted to carve out a place to get back. I didn't know what that was going to look like. I always served on boards of directors when I had been in corporate. But I didn't know what what giving back as my own company was going to look like. So I just kind of created space for that and with kept my eyes open. And I know that's why on November 9 2009, when I got invited to a Denver Broncos football game, it was not a pretty game, we got completely obliterated. But it happened to be the week of Veterans Day. And the team did something at halftime that changed my life. They brought some Fort Carson soldiers out to talk about military transition. Tip normally I don't pay attention at halftime unless it's a Super Bowl, right. But I was fixated to what they were talking about. And they talked about how, you know, how do you sell yourself to a civilian employer when all you've known as the military culture and language and community? How do you figure out what comes next, when you've been in this very prescriptive and standardized culture, and everything they were saying? It was like in this crowd of 1000s, they were just talking to me. And it was one of those moments, I can actually say I felt called to do something. And I looked at my husband in the moment and I said, Oh my gosh, I could do I could help here. This is what I do. What they're talking about is positioning and reputation management and personal branding. And my husband looked at me and he's like, Honey, I mean, what do you know about the military? I mean, no offense, but I didn't know anyone in the military. I didn't have any friends or family members who had served. So he had a little bit of a point. But I this was something I was leaning into. My mother was raised in communist Hungary both of my parents were immigrants to this country. But communist Hungary was a very different environment when my mother was raised. And when she got to this country, and and saw what freedom was, she raised my brother and I with the message that If you ever get a chance to say thank you, Freedom doesn't come for free, someone paid a price. She says, you say thank you. And that was always in the back of my mind. So that combined with this message I heard, I was fixed on it. It was not an easy path. And I'm certainly not complaining because yours was much, much harder than mine. But there's a lot of resistance to civilians who just want to help. And I knocked on a lot of doors, trying to just offer my programs offer my coaching my training, the work that I do, and get paid by corporations could not give this to veterans. And a lot of people said, yeah, what's in it for you? And it's legitimate, right? There are people who take advantage of the military space. But once that door did get opened for me, and I started teaching these programs, and coaching and mentoring and writing books, and writing articles, and speaking all over the country and paying my own way to go, I realized this is this isn't just something I can do. It's something I have to do. And 12 years later, I'm grateful that I get to still do it.

KP : 21:09

The military community is not an easy community break into pretty even if you're even if you're a veteran yourself, because when when you're in service, most military bases will have the used car lot. The tattoo parlors everything you can imagine just off base, because everybody knows how much you make based off of what's on your collar. So it's like, well, what's in it for you. So over the years, Lita, you've definitely established yourself as an authentic supporter of our community. And that has been shown through the countless hours that you've volunteered through vet Irati. And I know you have connections with VT, why act now education, so many tremendous nonprofit organizations out there who are also interested in helping our community and you have our utmost respect. And you have a solid reputation within our community. That's why have you on the podcast today? So as far as what you've seen recently, with experiences between female veterans and male veterans who are transitioning out, can you talk about that a little bit?

Lida Citroen: 22:18

Sure. And, you know, honestly, I never knew that there would be really that much of a difference. Again, I'm civilian, my only context for understanding the military when when I first started doing trainings and going to military installations, is television and movies, right. That's what I thought the military was coming. You don't I guess, all walk around like Tom Cruise and Top Gun, I don't know. But I also thought that men and women served alongside in every situation. And I remember years ago, speaking in, I think it was probably a group of around 50 to 100. They were active duty service members, getting ready to exit the military. And I was talking and doing my program and somebody said, maam asked a question to the audience. And I was like, What's the question? He said, ask how many of the individual that in this room have worked alongside women? And in that moment, is he asked that I realized the room was men. It never occurred to me, it was only men. So I asked the question, and not a lot of hands went up. And that was really interesting. Because, again, my perspective, what I knew from television and movies was it's everybody's working alongside everybody. And I realized that's not, that's not necessarily the case, which means that the men coming into the workforce, who might suddenly you know, have, maybe they have 20 years of experience from the military, and now they're reporting to a 25 year old manager, female, that's different, that's going to be really different to take orders, right? That dynamic is different. But female veterans, there's a whole situation that surrounds them, we see the the numbers of self identification much lower for female veterans than for their male counterparts. A lot of female veterans don't identify because of some of the stigma or unconscious bias that civilians bring. Many of my, my female veteran friends have said very often they'll walk out to their car in the parking lot, and it'll say, Air Force veteran has a bumper sticker. And people will look at her husband and say, you know, thank you for your service. And he's like, Yeah, I didn't serve she did. Very common, right. So there's not a lot of self identification, which is not good. We need women to self identify if they feel like they want to do that. The biases and the stereotypes and the preconceived ideas around what a female veteran is have to change and shift. Because the contribution that these women that have been in that environment, been in that culture and learn those skills and shaped that character is so needed, whether it's entrepreneurship education or in the in the world workforce, it is so needed and it's not as easy to get as you might think.

KP : 25:07

Yeah, that's actually fascinating you, you've done a lot of presentations and things like that all across the United States. And have you had a chance to go into any bases overseas and have these type of presentations?

Lida Citroen: 25:20

I would love to. I haven't I haven't I've had, I've had service members send me pictures of them holding my book, and Afghanistan or, you know, or different bases. Not Afghanistan today. But back then. And no, I haven't had that opportunity. But boy, I'd be on board for that. Because it is it is really cool. What's also interesting about the overseas piece is a lot of other countries have reached out to me, I have done some consulting, very small consulting with Canadian Air Force, the UK Royal Air Force out of the UK, Australia, India, like they're all kind of looking at what the Americans are doing and saying, you know, how can we take care of our returning veterans and find opportunities to bring them into the fold? The way the US is doing? So that's a really good time.

KP : 26:17

Yeah, no doubt. I mean, you've got literally global outreach leader. And that's, that's absolutely fascinating. And just going back and touching on the the female versus male veterans, I've over the span of the last year and a half spoke to she vets it out via and a number of other influencers out there, who were in that situation where they served, but their husbands or spouses didn't serve. And so they've talked about that over the years, where their husbands get thanked further for their service. And it's like, well, why did so I started? Well, that's a very,

Lida Citroen: 26:54

you know, um, I did a program this summer with Purdue University, they have a concentrated effort to focus on women, veterans, female veterans, and got to hear just some amazing sort of behind the scenes reality. And one of the things I think that that women struggle with coming out of the military is still wanting to be feminine, still wanting to be a female, rather than having to be a man now going into a, you know, an environment. And how do you navigate all that? And can you wear makeup? Yes, you can wear makeup? You know, can you wear high heels? Yes, you can wear high heels, but you don't have to, like, what are the rules? And what has changed? And and how does that dynamic work outside of the military where everything is spelled out so clearly, and there's nothing spelled out, nothing is uniform, nothing is consistent across the civilian sector. So I think that was really an interesting revelation that, you know, we just still want to be who we are. And whatever that looks like, right? Whatever population you align with. Being true to yourself being authentic. Is, is really the name of the game. And that isn't something the military talks about, which that makes sense. That's not the military's job.

KP : 28:14

Yeah, no, most definitely. And I, you know, the, what did you mention that was it was a Purdue

Lida Citroen: 28:21

University does a focus fellowship. And they brought me out to speak. And this was, I mean, Marina was there who you and I both know, and just an amazing group of female veterans who were pursuing their next career through the through the school. Yeah.

KP : 28:39

Awesome. Well, thank you for stepping up and being part of that conversation, because you definitely bring a lot of value to that as well. You know, you you've heard countless stories, just being a mentor through Veterati. And I know that you've been through a number of different presentations, whether it be at the Air Force Academy, or a lot of bases that you've been to talking to our veterans, and our service members as well. And I know that you've been heavily involved with entrepreneurship coaching for our veterans. So would you mind talking a little bit about that?

Lida Citroen: 29:14

Oh, the brave few that are willing to become an entrepreneur. You know, I it's an interesting path, right? Because there's a lot of different reasons somebody decides to pursue self own-, self, business ownership, self employment. And for some, it's, you know, coming out of the military, I don't want to, I don't want to report to anyone, I don't want to be beholden to the man, whatever it is. For others. It's an idea they've had that they they want to pursue and find their dream. And for others, it might be a franchise opportunity and they just want the the flexibility, the freedom of a business ownership, but they don't want to come up with something their own. There's a lot of different reasons that people pursue entrepreneurship. what's so cool is that the statistics show how well suited veterans are to be entrepreneurs. It's some of the things we talked about earlier, you know, being comfortable with change, being adaptable, and flexible and resilient, tenacious and disciplined. All of those skills, which if you have those skills, and you're an entrepreneur, like you're golden, right, because most entrepreneurs don't have that they just want free income or want the freedom to do whatever they want. So veterans are very well set up for it. But entrepreneurship is it's not a linear path. I describe it, I had a better audit coaching call today. And I described it to this, this woman Army soldier, I said, it's like free falling, you're constantly free falling, and you got to be okay with that. And I wasn't a risk taker. So I never wanted to be an entrepreneur, it was never my dream, I wasn't this little girl who, you know, wanted to own her own company. Because I liked the paycheck every two weeks, I liked PTO and an office that had my name on it, you know. But it became the most obvious thing when it became the most obvious thing. So I think you're either kind of cut out for it, or you learn to be cut out for it. Because if you're not a risk taker, you got to be okay with that idea of uncertainty, the free falling, right, I have people who are dependent on me, I have, you know, team members, and if I don't do my job, and bring in work and get the work done, they don't feed their families. So there's all these layers of complexity, you have to have a viable business idea. You have to have runway in terms of resources, and have really good allies in your corner, who you can call upon for advice, and legal counsel, insurance, accounting, all these all these unpleasant things that we have to deal with as business owners. But again, that's where veterans are set up better than civilians for it. Where the veteran may not be as as versed is things like networking, and the relationship building part of entrepreneurship, because most of us don't build our business in a silo, right? We need other people, we need those resources, we need referrals we need, you know, online connections, and get people to talk about our product or service or company. So having a really good network, having a really good narrative, the way that you talk about yourself, right? I don't lead with personal branding, when I'm meeting somebody for the first time because most people don't use that language. So I talk about, you know, being clear about who you are and what you can offer, and how your reputation advances your career, as opposed to hold you back. That stuff people understand, then I introduced the fact that I have a business. So having a really good elevator pitch and narrative is important. And being confident and who you are and what you can offer. Because there's a lot of haters out there, and there's a lot of people who are, you know, gonna watch and, and take whatever you leave on the table. So you've got to be pretty confident and be able to sell yourself. And some of those are traits that veterans have to learn, as opposed to just inherently bring into entrepreneurship.

KP : 33:21

Yeah, that is very well, sadly to and, you know, two of the things that I really have over the last year have kind of come to realize is that a lot of veterans tend to be very stubborn. And I don't know if you have experienced this or not, but when it comes to networking, connecting, asking for help, or asking for assistance, I know, I was that way, when I transitioned out, I thought I got this, I'm going to get my my postgraduate degree. And then I'm going to get out of the military, I know how to write a resume. I don't need any I don't need taps, I don't need none of this stuff. And then I ended up having one position out of like four that was available, I had one position to choose from, and I had to choose that or go into unemployment, which I couldn't even fathom being a captain and 0-3 going to unemployment. So I picked it. And I was part of this statistic that, you know, ended up leaving that job after my first year. So have you experienced that as well when it comes to the veteran community and the overall career transition?

Lida Citroen: 34:25

Well, I mean, you hit on on an easy one to start off with and that is that asking for help is not something that is necessarily encouraged as much in the military as it is in the civilian space. We tell veterans you know, when you when you work with us, like asking for help is a sign of strength. You're not seen as less than or vulnerable or weak. If you don't know how to do something you have no experience with because the civilian wouldn't hesitate to find a resource, find some training or ask for that. That is Little bit of a of a hesitancy when you have a veteran employee. I think the other thing and maybe this ties back to what you were saying, is the idea of self promotion. Right? I mean, I think you can pretty much assume this far into the conversation, I have no trouble talking about myself. I have no trouble as a civilian listing off all my accomplishments and accolades and every success I've ever had. But the veteran has trouble with that. A veteran has trouble saying I speaking in first person taking credit because service before self, the military value of service before self is that it's not about you, it's about those who serve alongside and saying I or implying that you're taking credit, feels like betrayal to those who served alongside and I completely understand that. I think it is one of the most admirable traits the military teaches. But it's tough when somebody comes out of that environment, and then tries to compete for opportunities in a culture where we have no trouble talking about ourselves, you know, and we can even do it so confidently. It doesn't even sound like bragging. How do you move from we to I, in a way that's authentic and valuable. And that kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier that this isn't about being somebody or you're not or, you know, trying to reinvent yourself, it's about reaching in and finding those best pieces of you, and bringing those forward. And that's something that somebody who has worn our nation's cloth has not been focused on, you know, they've been focused on serving the nation and protecting us and allowing me to sleep at night not worried about my freedom tomorrow. But if you can think about, you know, who you are, and what matters to you, and what drives you and what you're passionate about, and what your dreams are, what do you hope to do, that's meaningful when you come out of uniform, then gradually, you can get more comfortable talking about what you can contribute and what you can offer and where you can add value, because it still feels like serving a mission. And the thing we know about veterans is that desire to serve, which is why you raised your hand in the first place. Nobody, I mean, we don't have a draft in this country. So there, there's no obligation to join the military. Everybody volunteered. You know, in recent years, that desire to serve does not stop when you take the uniform off. So finding ways to channel that finding ways to mentor and be a partner and a collaborator with different communities is really where we see veterans thrive. And military spouses as well. A lot of the traits that I'm using for veterans map, dreamily close for military spouses that just don't wear uniforms and get recognized the same way.

KP : 37:50

100% 100% the the military spouses go through a lot of the same obstacles, all the same obstacles, not a lot, all the same obstacles that a service member goes through when it comes to having to get stationed somewhere that they're unfamiliar with getting stationed with having to reset all those relationships all over again. And they're truly the pillars that hold up the entire service member. So yeah, so when we're talking about service members, you know, we're talking universally about military spouses as well. And, you know, I'm talking about career transition, and everything. And Lita focuses specifically, you know, on the personal brand and online reputation, and really has a lot of great information, fascinating information about our community because she spent so much time literally one on one conversations, helping our veteran community out, Lita over the horizon. Yeah, what's in store for you? What's in store for you? And would you mind talking about some of the publications that you've done and who they would be geared towards?

Lida Citroen: 38:55

You know, to answer what's coming up back up just a little bit. So when I first when I wrote my first book, for the military, I've written three in the military community. My first book in that in that sector is your next mission, write a personal branding guide for the military to civilian transition, that book came out. And yes, it was very widely received by active duty and prior military and military spouses. Were buying it leaving it on the nightstand for their partner to read. But a large percentage of books were bought up by employers. And that was fascinating to me, because I didn't understand why a civilian at a company would be buying a book written for veterans. But they, in several of them told me after I inquired, they said, you're kind of a unicorn here. You're a civilian who figured out this workforce that we can't figure out. So they bought the book thinking it would be a great insight into what they're doing. So then I wrote a book for vets or for employers, which is more of a guidebook about terminology and lingo and acronyms and Best Practices. If you're interviewing, hiring and onboarding veterans, that book came out in 20 2017. And it's a, it's a quick and practical guide. I mean, that's literally what it is. Throw it in a briefcase, go to a job fair, you know what to ask and what not to ask. A few years later, I wrote success after service, which is really about finding your next career after the military. So unlike your next mission, it's less on the personal branding, and much more on the blocking and tackling. What do you do if you're 24 months out? You just turned your papers in? You know, your bet you've signed up for tamp, but you don't know what you're supposed to do for 24 months? What do you do? If you've got 60 days? What do you do? If it's tomorrow? And you haven't done anything? Right? How do you find a job? How do you choose a job, it's also the only book success after service, I think is the only book that talks about the path to student veteran ship. Right, so becoming a student veteran. And it also includes a section on entrepreneurship, because we know that those are three employment, entrepreneurship, and education are three paths that veterans take. And that book is doing really well as a blocking and tackling. But my work with employers is really where I'm really excited some very, very large companies, household names, I've been able to work with to either stand up, amplify, or really kind of build out their veteran recruiting process their in house training for managers and employees who work alongside veterans, you know, it falls under the Diversity Equity and Inclusion umbrella, which is really important right now. So just having a lot of wonderful conversations with some amazing employers around the world, talking about the veteran workforce, and how to really capture and commit to those, those team members. That's what I look forward to doing more of.

KP : 41:55

Yeah, it's absolutely fascinating that you bring that up as far as working with the employers, because I recently had an interview with Michael pet, who is the liaison for Uber. And he brought up the whole point of us being just over 20 years from September 11. And that's really important, because that was the kickoff of VA Afghanistan, and then shortly thereafter, the Iraq War. So you have a lot of veterans that joined out of Patriot patriotism during that time, and are now getting ready to retire. So places, certain companies like Uber are looking to build that bridge to fill that gap of meeting those military members halfway, when it comes to bringing them on to their workforce. And I thought that was fascinating that you just mentioned that.

Lida Citroen: 42:43

Yeah, I am also kind of hung up on the thing you mentioned earlier about speaking at international bases. So I'm kind of thinking I might put a put it in and tension out to the universe for that, because that sounds really fun, too. But you know, this, this isn't a business thing for me. I mean, I, I do. Employers do pay me for services in that space. But you know, I mean, I do this because it's a way to genuinely say thank you for everything that I have, because of people like you. And it is I get rewarded 10, tenfold, for every hour, you know, or books that I write. And it's just it's it's a truly an honor to be able to have the credibility that you talked about and be able to give back in this way. And I think other civilians could look for equally as rewarding opportunities if they just dug a little bit deep.

KP : 43:34

Yeah, no, it's an absolute honor to be speaking as someone because even with me in this podcast, I'm not getting paid to do the podcast, but I put a lot of hours into it as well. But it's an honor to be speaking to someone, a titan like yourself, Hart, who is actually making big waves in our community. So thank you for giving, giving us your your time today. But I also wanted to give you an opportunity to mention any pieces of advice or any anything that you want to mention that we didn't talk about in the podcast that you want to throw in here towards the end of the podcast or the end of the episode today.

Lida Citroen: 44:10

You know, a couple of things come to mind. I mean, I think the the first one I bring up a lot is transition isn't an event. Transitioning out of the military is not a day or a week of ceremonies and dinners and cocktail parties. It's a process. And for some people, that process takes years. For some it is a couple of months, but one person's experience is not exactly like the next person and own and appreciate and honor your experience for what it is. You've got, you know, experience in the past that got you to this point. What comes next is how it's supposed to be for you. You can't rush it, you can't try to you know, shape it any way that it's not supposed to be. So just understand when people talk about transition. They often think that once you've done the transition, you're somehow done Okay, well, it can be years before you're fully transitioned. And I think the other thing is, and this is what I really try and teach when I want to do the personal branding workshops is, you know, I get to enjoy a life of authenticity, and I know who I am. And I'm clear about my values and how I want to show up in this world. And the legacy that I'm working towards. Somebody in the military doesn't think about that on a daily basis, right? You're thinking about much different things. But then when you come out of uniform, that's kind of what we expect you to bring into the conversation. And, and it might feel self centered, it might feel self focused, and it kind of is, right, we're talking about you. But who else deserves the opportunity to live a life of meaning and purpose and fulfillment better than somebody who served their country. So take that time, it's not self indulgent, to look inside before you look outside and really ask yourself, who you are and who you want to be and find the people that are going to help you. There's so many resources out there, maybe too many. But you're a great resource. I'm a great resource. I encourage anybody to reach out. I'm very findable on social media, or my website, you can always find a way to reach me and let us help you. Because this this journey, we're all on this together, and we're stronger together. And I have more fun that way, too. So

KP : 46:21

you can't get more authentic than that, Lida, and for now that you mentioned it being findable on social media, I'll make sure I put it down in the show notes. Would you mind talking to the folks out there on how they can connect with you? If you'd like to follow up with any questions or maybe follow you on any of your platforms?

Lida Citroen: 46:42

Sure. So my website lida360.com is where all the information about who I am, is I have a YouTube channel with a ton of videos completely easy to download. I'm pretty active on LinkedIn. So I am a LinkedIn learning instructor. I have eight courses that I teach different areas of reputation management and branding and military transition on LinkedIn. definitely connect with me on LinkedIn, send me a message. Instagram, Twitter, I'm on. I'm on all of them. It's kind of my personality. So I love social media. Yeah.

KP : 47:21

Yeah, I'm on all of them as well, some more predominant than others. But yeah, I have seen you a lot on LinkedIn. And you've been doing great as far as the the courses and, and everything. And I'll make sure I also put your books down there in the show notes as well. So if you're watching this on YouTube, scroll down to the description. You'll find all of leaders information on how to connect, if you're listening to this on a podcast, go down to the bottom of the podcast here and in the show notes. You'll see how you can connect with Lita as well. And Lita, you know, going back to what you mentioned earlier, as far as allies, you are one of the first interviews that I had. You're a TEDx speaker. Yeah. Like I mentioned, your, your Titan in the industry. And that was, I remember back in the day, when I interviewed for the first time, I was like, really nervous. And really like, Oh, this is this is a big deal. Like I've got leadership drone coming on. So I want to thank you for being part of my journey. And I want to thank you for being a great friend and a great connection for the morning formation podcast and myself. I couldn't do it with without folks like you being in my corner and being my ally. So thank you for that. I really appreciate it.

Lida Citroen: 48:32

Well, the feeling is mutual. Absolutely. I feel like I get as much from our professional relationship as hopefully I give. So that's wonderful to hear.

KP : 48:42

Most definitely. And for everyone else out there listening, make sure you connect with Lida, make sure you check out her books as well. I was looking at my bookshelf over here, because I didn't think about it. But I have your books over here. I should have brought him in as little visuals. But I completely forgot about.

Lida Citroen: 48:58

I didn't even worry.

KP : 49:00

There they are. There they are. If you guys want to see what they look like, if you're watching this on YouTube, they're right behind her. There's the orange covered. And then there's the purple or bluish color cover as well, as well as the two with the two top ones Lida.

Lida Citroen: 49:13

Your next mission is the white cover with the red, white and blue and then reputation 360, which we released again this year. It was the first book I ever wrote in 2011. And I rewrote it and published it again this year. So that one skews much more to a younger audience and then control the narrative which is right here is my pride and joy because it's everything I know about corporate and executive branding for individuals. Yeah.

KP : 49:39

I have the two bottom ones off the checkout the the the two top ones as well. But, Lida, thank you for giving us your time today. I really appreciate it. And for everyone else out there listening to the more information I want to thank you for giving us your time as well. I hope you enjoyed the conversation that Lida and I had today. And as always, I want you to stay tuned, stay focused, and stay motivated. Warriors Fallout.