*If you would like to help in sponsoring in future book distributions for our veterans just call Russ Hovendick at (605) 362-8176 ext 101 or email him at russ@directionalmotivation.com

The Marines have a saying, Semper Fidelis, which means always faithful. Former Marine and the co-founder of Six Sigma, Dr. Mikel Harry continues to sponsor a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt scholarship program to help veterans transition to six-figure positions by offering companies their mastery of business process improvement skills.

Dr. Harry has many success stories regarding the program which commenced in early 2013. He shared a Gulf War Veteran’s letter recently on his blog,

“Within weeks of completing the certification and working with you, I accepted an offer of employment today for a full-time permanent supply chain project manager position. My starting salary is $100,000.00 per year with a $5,000.00 signing bonus, plus excellent benefits. The bar is very high, and now it is time to get to work.”

Through Leatherneck.com, Six Sigma Wings for Heroes (SSWH) is awarding scholarships to Marine veterans, reservists, active-duty personnel, and family members.

SSWH is not asking for any donations, matching contributions, or economic pledges. Rather, Dr. Harry has dedicated himself to fund the scholarships as his way of making a difference to those who have sacrificed so much for our nation.

Leatherneck.com is asking Marines to submit a personal letter via email, stating the reason(s) they want the scholarship and how they feel it would impact their chances at finding work and advance their post military careers.

Letters should be sent to SixSigmaWingsforHeroes@leatherneck.com. Leaders atLeatherneck.com and SSWH will review all submissions and award the scholarships based on the impact and creativity of the entries. The program will continue until all 300 scholarships donated have been granted.

About Six Sigma Wings for Heroes

A dimension of Six Sigma Management Institute (SSMI) is about giving back to the men and women that have safeguarded our great nation and sacrificed so much on our behalf. ​

The founder of SSMI, Dr. Mikel Harry, believes in getting Veterans personally involved, investing in themselves, and becoming qualified to step into high paying jobs with security, as well as vertical and horizontal job mobility.

With this aim, Dr. Harry and the institute’s staff created the SSMI Military and Veteran Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Training and Certification Scholarship Program. Essentially, this program covers nearly 80% of the recipient’s cost. What makes this scholarship so unique is the way in which it is organized and implemented.

​Scholarship recipients receive world-class online Black Belt training from Dr. Harry, who is the co-creator of Six Sigma and a National Best Selling Author on the subject, and they are also supported through online one-on-one coaching by certified Subject Matter Experts. In addition, there are a host of other learning resources and products that are a part of the scholarship.

To Apply for the scholarship click here 

• Hear from Veterans using VA benefits for education, training, and career advancement.
• Learn how to tap into VA education and employment benefits.
• Ask questions about these benefits and share post-service success stories.
• http://on.fb.me/1t4Y7xY

Pictured below is Jim Prostrollo, Employment Specialist – Veteran’s Services and Wylla Satterness, Employment Specialist – Business Outreach along with Directional Motivation Founder and Author Russ Hovendick

The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs was one of over 100 vendors at the Sioux Falls Job Fair held at the Elmen Center at Augustana College Wednesday.
Deputy Secretary Aaron Pollard, Field Officer Steven Lund and Veterans Service Officer Regina Boeve were on hand to answer questions regarding veterans benefits and services.
Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether kicked off the event by reading a proclamation proclaiming Wednesday, August 6, as Veterans and Spouses Job Fair Day in Sioux Falls.
This is the eighth annual job fair offered to assist veterans, military personnel readjust to their civilian life.
Recently, SDDVA provided all CTVSOs with the book “Deployment to Employment,” a guide for military veterans transitioning to civilian employment. The book provides a step-by-stepguide to success in landing civilian employment. SDDVA Secretary Zimmerman believes that the book is a great resource for veterans to use in developing their resume, preparing for interviews and landing a job.

Standing at the starting gate of a summer long overdue, (considering the winter most of us have had,) already a few picnics and barbeques into June’s extended sunny days, and just a few days away from a long weekend of cold drinks and fireworks, it’s tempting to fall into our tried and proven, comfortable routines. We move through our schedules towards the next “check in the box,” and we forget I fear that ambition and sense of wonder which caused us to request a tour of duty within the armed forces. We have a job, and it’s meeting the needs for now, so we settle, we accept, and we start to think that perhaps the most accomplished days in our lives may be behind us. We look for that feeling of achievement like we once had, only to find a world of supervisors who do not seem to understand our past success. We find a world full of cubicles and digital deadlines, and we may become disheartened.

Have you ever had these thoughts? Sir Frances Bacon once stated; “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he is yet alive.” Can you relate to that? If you can, if I just explained in detail your feelings, have you settled? Do you want more? If so, how hard are you willing to work for it?

The reason that I bring this up is not to rub your perceived misfortune in your face; that is not at all my intention. No, the reason I bring this up is to wake you up, to help you if you want it. I would like to show you that the same ambition and passion that made you effective in your service to the US Armed Forces is greatly lacking in the private sector and also greatly desired by supervisors and managers alike. We are living in the greatest entitled age in my opinion that this nation has ever seen, and the only thing that must be done for you to stand out a bit from the many other resumes that flood the market every day is to be the person that feels they are owed nothing that they are not willing to work for. You joined the US Military, and started from the bottom, (as you should have) working your way up with integrity and commitment; and to that I say well done. Where we go wrong as veterans is when we reach the end of our service, and expect the private sector to not only understand our accomplishments as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, but to fast track us because of them. There is a communication gap between the US Military and our nation’s private companies, this is true; but this gap is not closed by being of the mindset that they should understand me, but rather that I should and even must learn to understand them. Don’t be the one who waits for what he feels he is owed to come and knock on his door, but rather get up off your blessed back-side and work for what you want; like you did in the military; from the bottom up.
In the Military, your accomplishments are displayed in the proudest of traditions, in small, colorful, neat little rows on your chest. These small patriotic displays are a great sense of pride and integrity across all the branches of the Military. However, they are not understood by a greater majority of the civilian populace. Now, with that said, there is something that the civilian populace does understand very well when it comes to employment considerations, and it is a virtue that you are in no short supply of.
Commitment; there are people in this life, people in our country’s work force that have never understood what it is like to not have the freedom to call in sick. Just your commitment alone is enough to set you apart from those you may be in competition with for the job you want.
Another quality that you have ample supply of that is grossly desired today in the private employment market place is resolve. I know more people that bounce around from job to job then I do know people that stick. The majority of today’s employees walk into an interview only looking for how the job benefits them, and could care less about how they are able to contribute to and impact the company. Companies are looking to make an investment in you, but they want to see a return on that investment. You want to make your Military record shine, outline your resolve and self-assigned sense of obligation toward a job not just finished, but finished well, (which in the Marine Corps always meant with time to spare and under budget.)
Finally, outline your experience, (in terms that spare the civilian who you are talking with the Military acronyms and language of bravado.) The experience of making decisions quickly with little or perhaps even none of the required information, and not only that but also standing by those decisions when the repercussions of those decisions come full circle. This is not a quality that is easy to find in the private employment world today. There are very few “decision makers” available in the private employment market place, and the ones that are available, and have outlined their ability to be able to make decisions are being compensated appropriately for it.
So there you are. Commitment…Resolve…Experience; three qualities that are greatly needed in the private employment market place which you as a US Military veteran have a generous amount of. Now, how bad do you want your best days to be in front of you vs. behind you?

Other speakers at the event included: Teri Clark, Bonnie Bessler, Chad Storlie, Tianna Robinson, and Evan Downey

Russ Hovendick & Tianna Robinson

Russ Hovendick speaking at the HRAM conference in Omaha.

Chad Storlie

Teri Clark

Bonnie Bessler

Evan Downey