Summary: One hundred years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, President Woodrow Wilson announced the first observance of what has become known as Veteran’s Day, a celebration of the critical role those who have served in our military play in the life of our country. At the Institute for Emerging Issues, we give special thanks for their service and urge you to reach out to the veterans you know to thank them. Every year, about 30,000 military personnel stationed in North Carolina move out of the service and start looking for jobs. Across the US, the total is 200,000. These folks have a remarkable breadth of skills, including a common set of habits that can be helpful in improving the culture of an organization. This week’s First in Future guest is Randy Nelson, a former Navy Lieutenant and an entrepreneur. We talked with him about how he decided to serve in the military, what skills it gave him for later life, the habits of mind an entrepreneur needs, how he is coping with a strange kind of addiction he has, and what it might take for North Carolina to be first in future in convincing more transitioning military personnel to stay or move here.
