Serving Those Who Served
When most people think of military veterans, they acknowledge the courage, the selflessness, and the discipline it takes to serve. They’re grateful, recognizing the sacrifices that often accompany the choice to stand and take an oath to defend their country against all enemies. Not many people can do that.
When veterans return home, they often face unexpected difficulties in transitioning the skills they’ve earned to civilian life and the workplace. Yet veterans are a tremendous asset to any workplace. They bring outstanding leadership skills, a willingness to volunteer for challenging assignments, as well as an ability to adapt to various situations quickly. They have sticktoitiveness that allows them to press through obstacles and accomplish goals in spite of them. Of course, from a technology standpoint, veterans also bring an impressive and unique skill set to any organization or enterprise. You know when you hand projects off to a veteran, those projects will be taken across the finish line successfully.
By the time I was 12 years old, I knew that I wanted to serve. I went on to attend the United States Naval Academy and served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years. In my post-military career, I’ve been passionate about veterans affairs and advocating on their behalf, and I have actively sought opportunities to contribute in that way. It’s what led me to become a board member of the Marines Memorial Association, a nonprofit organization that honors veterans and their families through education and service. And a few months ago, another valuable opportunity landed in my lap — I was asked to serve as the executive sponsor for Palo Alto Networks’ employee network group (ENG) for veterans, the Veterans Employee Network.
The Power of ENGs
For those who participate in the Veteran Employee Network, the group offers a way to connect with others who have similar backgrounds and perspectives. This opportunity is a global one as nearly all veterans share common principles of the workplace and ethics. Though we come from different areas around the globe and served in a multitude of ways, those of us with military experience naturally seek out others who share that background and commitment. An ENG provides a convenient venue in which we can seek out professional connections and friendships with others who have similar mindsets and values. And it’s a way to enable veterans to join together in service efforts, such as fundraising events or other opportunities to volunteer for the community. Plus, who better to offer support to a veteran than another veteran?
ENGs in general provide an avenue for expressing concerns to company leaders, and they can act as a unified voice for a population that may not otherwise be understood or considered in the decision-making process. An ENG can amplify members’ input, for example, on how to attract and hire veteran talent or engage or support existing employees. Palo Alto Networks’ Black employee network, Ujima — a group for which I was executive sponsor until recently — was particularly valuable in the summer of 2020 during a period of intense social unrest. The perspectives shared by Ujima members were particularly valuable in helping to shape how company leaders approached and made decisions about the organization’s messaging on the issue and how it would take care of its employees. An ENG allows leaders to take a group’s pulse, solicit feedback, and use that feedback to shape their actions.
As an executive sponsor, the responsibilities of the role are mostly strategically oriented. I offer suggestions for increasing engagement by our company’s veterans and how we might have more impact as part of the Palo Alto Networks workforce. I can help share messaging about events so that veteran and non-veteran employees alike feel welcome to attend and can benefit from the insights offered. And as a member of the executive team, I can act as a conduit for information so that the group’s input is truly heard by the people who need to hear it.
Diversity and inclusion are top priorities at our company, but I also believe that every company can do more to identify prospective employees who are veterans and tap into the talents and experiences they can bring to the job. The two areas are in fact complementary to one another and not mutually exclusive. That’s why all employees are welcome to participate in ENGs, not just those who identify as members. In the Veteran Employee Network, we have members who are related to veterans and are familiar with those experiences and challenges and perhaps have even lost loved ones who served.
It’s so important that we give employees the space to continue to be who they are in the workplace and to express what makes them unique. And it’s crucial that their colleagues and managers understand the distinct challenges they face and what attributes they can bring to the table. Being an executive sponsor or participant in an ENG enables this kind of exchange.
I often joke with my wife that on my tombstone, I want written, “Husband, father, United States Marine.” I only served for a handful of years, but it made such a huge impact on who I am, personally and professionally. Most veterans feel that way about their service; it’s a component of their personalities, and I’m proud to say that our ENG provides space in which to share that.
From Cyber Defense to COVID-19 Defense
One of Palo Alto Networks’ own is on the frontlines of the United States’ fight against coronavirus. Senior Director of IT Business Operations Steve Januario has been serving the nation’s military since 1997 and currently is Inspector General for the 195th Wing of the California Air National Guard, overseeing inspections for Cyber Defense, Intelligence, Space and Combat Communications. In a typical, non-pandemic year, this involves about one weekend a month of service, but there’s nothing typical about this year. When California Governor Gavin Newsom activated the Guard on March 23rd to assist in the state’s COVID-19 response, Steve said goodbye to his family (not to mention the new desk he’d purchased for working from home) and headed for the Sacramento area to bring his leadership skills to a new kind of battle.
While living in a hotel since March 24th, Steve has been performing his Palo Alto Networks duties in the morning and heading to an Army facility to work the long, daily swing shift as Battle Captain for the Guard, working with a team on an operations floor to oversee troop movement through California as part of the Guard’s four-fold COVID-19 response effort: working at area food bank facilities, providing logistical support for medical supply distribution, managing nursing stations, and operating homeless shelters.
“The Guard is doing a lot of great things,” Steve says. “We’ve packaged over 50 million meals at these food banks over the last several months, and we’ve been able to help communities in need throughout California.”
He credits the whole Palo Alto Networks IT Services team for its support while his time has been limited, especially as the unprecedented demands of getting the entire company transitioned to remote work were at their peak. He’s optimistic that California’s aggressive efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve will pay off. “People should feel assured that we have all the necessary equipment and food, and they should continue to stay home or follow safe social distancing and wear masks when going out,” he says. “This is something we’re taking very seriously… hopefully, we’ll start to see this taper off soon.”
Stay Ready
Laramie Mergerson, Majors Account Manager, Cortex
When I joined Palo Alto Networks, I honestly didn’t expect to stay longer than a year. But the opportunities that have been offered to me and the investments made in me by some of our current and former executives showed me that the people here valued my abilities and wanted me to succeed.
When I first started here, I was an inside sales rep, which was new to me after years selling in the field. I needed to learn about cybersecurity and master our products and market in order to move up. But my commitment to learning and taking on new responsibilities led to my being able to continually move up inside the company. That has inspired loyalty to the brand that has allowed me to see many different parts of the cybersecurity industry that I didn’t expect to encounter.
For example, I was given an opportunity to stretch my abilities and was the first employee to take on a special assignment with our current Vice President of Business Development, which revealed many different aspects of the business to me. After that, I was selected in the first cohort for a new hybrid position working with Palo Alto Networks’ Major and Global Accounts. After a very successful year in that role, I was promoted as the first sales rep covering Major Accounts in Texas for Cortex, our detection and response platform that utilizes collected data to stop cyber attacks. That’s a lot of firsts! These opportunities have not only given me a high level of work satisfaction, but they’ve shown me that there’s still plenty of room for me to grow and learn with this company.
Something else I’m really proud of and personally enjoy is having the opportunity to take some of my black customers to events that are tailored to their interests — many of which received a response and attendance rate of around 90%, which is almost unheard of in sales. To see the smiles and appreciation from my customers and watch our relationships grow over the years has been exciting and fulfilling. I look forward to nurturing these relationships for years to come.
Keys to Success
I ran a marketplace startup for a few years before coming to Palo Alto Networks. I believe it was this experience, more than any other prior role, that prepared me for working here. In fact, I’ve found that wearing different hats in order to achieve results has been a tremendous asset to me throughout my career because it has made me versatile and demonstrated my willingness to take on new responsibilities.
Additionally, I spent time in the military early in my career and played basketball at high levels. I believe both of these experiences have contributed to my success as well because they taught me about working with teams and having a “no excuses” mentality that is all about results, both of which are key to success in sales.
At the end of the day, I feel any experience can be valuable if you are always looking for opportunities to learn and challenge yourself. Some of the best advice I’ve ever received was to be ready when your number is called. You might only get one shot to prove yourself. The black community has a saying, which I fully believe: If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready. I’ve made it a priority to stay ready, and I believe that has helped me to achieve career success.