Recognising the significant benefits that veterans bring to the workplace has contributed to GSA Management Consulting rapidly developing a reputation of excellence across a range of sectors throughout Australia.
Specialising in strategy, service delivery improvement, and governance risk & compliance, GSA provides services to State Governments, police and emergency services, the Department of Defence, and the private sector. Veterans currently make up over 50% of their total workforce, including one of the two founding Directors.
GSA was established by a long serving Army veteran, and a highly experienced and respected and management consulting executive. The two founding Directors recognised that blending teams with the values, experience and attributes of Australian veterans, and the deep industry, business and consulting expertise of non-veterans, offers a powerful combination delivering enormous benefits for their clients, their company and their team members alike.
By blending teams with truly diverse backgrounds, experiences and skills sets, GSA is able to design and implement solutions to complex business problems through genuinely diverse thinking and approaches. For members of the GSA team, this presents constant opportunity to grow and learn from each another. For veteran members of the GSA team in particular, it provides an attractive balance between delivering high personal value based on their existing skills and experiences, while learning new skills on a daily basis from their non-veteran colleagues.
GSA provides opportunities for veterans to gain professional services experience both within Defence and in areas other than Defence which provides important professional perspective strengthening their value proposition to both Defence and non-Defence clients.
“We understand firsthand that transitioning from Defence is a challenging experience both personally and professionally. We create an environment where people can bring to bear their strengths and impart their invaluable experiences, while at the same time challenging and supporting them to learn and grow in order to succeed as a management consultant of choice across a range of sectors.” – Heath Smith, Owner and Director
Heath’s transition tips for other veterans
- Reflect deeply on what it is you are truly seeking to achieve through the transition process. Define ‘what good looks like’ for you in terms of your whole-of-life situation. That includes work, but also other priorities such as family, recreation, finances, personal development, community contribution etc. What good looks like for you is unique to you, and once defined in this holistic way will help you to narrow in on the type of work/career that will support your goals.
- When you do start your second career, be very open to learning new skills and ways of doing things. Recognise the skills you have that are directly transferable to your new environment and bring them to bear, while at the same time recognising where you need to learn and develop. Finding this balance and being willing to learn can be the key to success.
- Lean on the people around you for support, including the organised veteran support organisations. You are not the first person to go through the process so benefit from the experiences of others and the resources available to you. I am yet to meet a veteran who is not interested in helping other veterans succeed.