The secret ingredient is contingency planning

The Secret Ingredient is… Contingency Planning

One of the things that SOF units are good at, is planning. Getting into the gnat’s ass details that make or break a mission. Excellent planning is key to having proper resource management. It is necessary to know the when, where, and how to utilize the proper application of tactical pressure, and it is generally the key to success in any operation or task. Planning is applying knowledge of the tactical and physical environment to the known intelligence about the enemy, your capabilities, looking at available resources and time, and making a plan that is then challenged through war-gaming and adjusting as necessary. 

If all that is involved in even the most routine missions leaving the gate, don’t you think transitioning from the military should be given a little more weight than just going to a few classes to check the box?

Absolutely not.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a class on doctrine, the military decision-making process, or anything that officers do in their free time. This is about planning for the biggest mission of your life using principles from the tactical environment.

Your planning for separating from the military SHOULD begin 36 months out, but if needed, you can also make a plan when time is constrained. While there is goal setting specific to transitioning from the military, this is going to specifically discuss goalsetting with a secret ingredient… no, not violence of action… contingency planning. Mission planning is great but there is going to come a time where everything goes to shit and if you aren’t prepared for it then it is not going to be a good time. 

One of the greatest tactical minds that I have ever had the privilege of knowing and serving with told us, “the best we will ever be able to train for is the 80%, the enemy, terrain, and variables of combat dictate the other 20%.” Our TACSOP (tactical standard operating procedures) covered the 80% and we used the principles of the 80% and applied them to the dynamic environment of the 20% in such a way that the rest of our team could predict what we were probably going to do. 

Finding the 80% and understanding the 20%

Transition and life are the same, plan for the 80%, be prepared to adjust fire on the 20%, but it takes planning and preparation to do that. Where should you start? Start with the 80%, start with the known obstacles and challenges you will face. 

Start by asking yourself this: “What are the controllables and things that you can specifically plan for?” (The 80%).

• Expenses: Assess what your general expenses are for a 3-month period and plan how much money would be needed in your savings for a 3-6 month period of time.

• Healthcare: Hey warrior, all those great times with your best friends living off Rip-Its, Wild Tigers, and the original formula of N.O. Explode? You are going to be dealing with that later in life. Service connected? Hopefully, but just be prepared in case it’s not.

• I was once told, and I stand by it, the true Ballad of the Green Berets is “crepitus” and the more years I spent on a team, the more it made sense.

• Employment: What does your future career field look like? Will you need child care? A tie clip? A fancy watch like a Warrant Officer?

• Vacation: You have free time that you aren’t filling a leave form out for, how much are you going to put aside to travel each year?

• Family time: Non-negotiables. Sports, adventures, life lessons, plan for the costs.

• Food: Delicious, but expensive.

• Etc.

Using the 80% to Solve the 20%

For all my GWOTers, what is a contingency that defined our era that you planned for? IEDs. You probably answered that before finishing the sentence. You knew how to spot, identify, maneuver around or to, and how to minimize them. Were they all the same? No. Were you able to apply the similar approaches with slight modification as dictated by the situation, terrain, and enemy? Yes. That is how you conquer the 20% contingencies in war and life.

Contingency planning is key in preparing for a mission as well as preparing for a transition in life. Instead of applying tactical movements to complex situations, you apply your values and planned responses to known life events and to potentially unknown and unforeseen events. How you do the small things in life, usually applies to how you do the big things. 

Example: You’re working a new job and your spouse gets sick and hospitalized. How will you respond to childcare, caring for your spouse, insurance co-pays, etc? You look at your 80%, and your values. 

You might have extra funding saved for a rainy day or for unforeseen vehicle/house expenses that you then re-allocate to support medical needs and travel expenses to support your spouse. Same principles, applying the rainy-day fund to unforeseen expenditures, but instead of a water heater or a new transmission it goes to supporting your spouse’s medical and travel expenses for their health.

The key is that you are planning for, and preparing yourself, to respond to contingencies. Applying the 80% to the 20%.

Not Your S.A.M.P.L.E. Goals

Whether you have worked with a Master Resiliency Trainer, a Mental Performance Coach, Cognitive Performance Specialist, or Sport Psychology Coach you might have noticed a difference in how the goals were approached in the previous section. I didn’t go into the traditional “Simple Measurable Attainable Relatable Time-based” goals, I used your values which was that driving force that kept you moving in the military even after you passed your named goals. Little did you know that your entire career has been based on deep seated values from your upbringing and from your community.

Think back through your career. The major decisions in life that happened during your time from enlistment to retirement (or separation) were driven by something deeper than time-based goals. That driving force inside you that made you push harder, work longer, and put in the extra effort is the same driving force that can carry you on the outside as a civilian. 

As you prepare for this next chapter, build your framework for how you will respond to the 80% and 20% situations. Sit down with your family, or on your own, and read through a list of values (see the bottom of this page). Filter it down to 5 core values that you define yourself by and how you will approach challenges that come your way. These can change over time as you become a parent, move into a new career, move into retirement, pick up road cycling (for all you dudes over 35), or other major milestones in life, so check back in.

 

Here’s your homework. If you want to make goals, great, let me know and I can write you a post going into details about goal-setting. But if you want to make life choices, make your list of values. Challenge yourself to frame your decisions by the values that you choose. Write them down, put them somewhere you will see often, but make them yours. 

How early should you start planning for leaving the military? 36 months. If you’re past that then get moving. Plan for the 80% known situations and scenarios that you will experience. Define your values. Use the principles of the 80% and your values to dictate how you respond to the 20%. Contingency planning isn’t just for missions; it is for life. Get moving. 

Values List Drill

Look through the list of values with their definitions below. Cross out values that don’t matter, highlight values that somewhat matter, and circles values that definitely matter. Try to refine your list down to 10 and then to 5 values that you want to use as the framework for how you face challenges in your life. If you are married then include your spouse in the drill.