Dr. Keith McNally, who trains veterans for IT careers, says most organizations miss the critical part of onboarding: consistent follow-up and mentorship after day one. Leaders who model steady expectations and behavior teach new hires the habits they need to succeed.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
Dr. Pete, hi, my name is Dr. McNally, and I am a college professor. I've been teaching college for the past 10 years, and specifically for the past 4 years, I have been training military personnel in IT to get civilian jobs when they leave.
Well, Dr. McNally, it is an absolute pleasure to have you on the show. Question number 2: What is something that makes you smile and/or laugh about working in your industry?
I appreciate that question. So the best thing that makes me smile is when I see the success because the program I worked in was both technical in nature, and that's where I came in, plus soft skills training. And so when we see military personnel transition successfully, one, out of the military into the civilian sector, getting a job in IT, you know, that, that's rewarding gold.
Oh, I love it. And I can hear the passion in your voice. I love it. Question number 3. I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
I think they should read, what does it mean to follow up after the sale? And so going back to what I just talked about is, as an instructor, I'm in education, of course. And so you always wanna do that follow-up, especially for those who are transitioning out, just because they've made that transition, they're no longer in the military, that doesn't mean all of their problems and all of their frustrations are gone. They're still in transition. So they have to acclimate themselves to the civilian culture, a civilian workforce, a new job. And so being there continually to mentor, coach, and guide, you know, that's really where the power is. So we just don't drop them and let them go. You have to continually be there. And I still have contact with students I've trained, years and years ago, you know, who have gotten their certifications, made it up the ladder in terms of IT and are now, you know, project or program managers. So that's been really good.
Oh, I love that insight too, because it's not just for those transitioning from the military. What you're talking about is very relevant for any company that is recruiting new employees in. You know, if when they recruit the new employee in and they just say, okay, here's your desk, go. And there's no mentorship, there's no direction, that is setting the employee up for failure. But if you have a program, you have an onboarding process, it makes all the difference in the world. And, and your, your, uh, uh, examples are, are a perfect, perfect, uh, uh, complement to that.
Well, cool, that's good because, you know, we don't know what the business is going to offer, but where they came from and who they know is gonna be really important to them to kind of help make that transition.
Absolutely. Question number 4, other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
I think the best insight would be to be consistent. I like the fact that if you're gonna say something, you're gonna do it, or if you're gonna practice doing something, that should be also what you say and you preach. And so for me, consistency is a real winner in the classroom, out of the classroom, in leadership, not in leadership. Just being consistent is really helpful, kind of keeping everybody in line, keeping expectations in line. And, you know, not having— and again, I speak from the classroom experience— if students don't know what the expectation is, or if I'm inconsistent with what I do, with what I say, it really does set a bad example for what they're about to step into, and that's an IT job. So being consistent on my end helps them be consistent on their end.
Yeah, that's really insightful because you're modeling what you're trying to teach. Is that basically what I'm hearing?
Yes, absolutely. So they're going to learn it here. They're going to learn it in the classroom. I always say the classroom is the place where we're going to make mistakes, and that's why I kind of stay there. I like that space. Because you want to learn what's right, what's wrong, you know, how to do this, not do that, in a safe place. And so it's both physically safe, it's psychologically safe, it's emotionally safe, but they get that time. And so when they're ready to step into the workplace, they're prepared.
Very insightful. Thank you. Question number 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Absolutely. I think Mitch Gray. He is a tremendous friend of mine. He is also a business coach and leadership coach. So if you had the opportunity to talk with him, I think he'd greatly appreciate it.
Oh, perfect. I look forward to connecting with him. And our final question, question number 6, please tell me about your first job.
Okay, so my first job out of high school was a Marine. And so I typically use this story as an icebreaker for when I'm in the classroom. And my first day on the job was, you know, the drill instructor yelling at all of us on the bus. And this is in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, at 0:30. And we all have to run out of there, run into the chow hall, and we all line up. And the first thing that they do is feed us because the government's going to feed their soldiers. So we're all in line in the chow hall. And this is before we've even gotten haircuts or gotten uniforms. We're still in civilian clothes, and they're going to feed us, and I can't keep my foot, you know, pace with the person in front of me or the person behind me. So whenever my— his right foot's going forward, my right foot is still back, and eventually he steps on my shoe enough times where it just comes off. And, you know, not knowing what to do, just kind of being scared and just freaking out because drill instructors are yelling, things are all crazy and it's all— I lose my shoe. And so I think that was, you know, what are you gonna do? So I'm walking through the chow hall with one shoe on and one shoe off, and I'm trying to get my meal. And eventually, you know, drill instructors are pointing to Here he is. And so, you know, I think before the end of the meal and chow, you know, before the end of chow, you know, I get this— my sneaker is bonked in the back of my head. So that's my first— I just use it as an icebreaker because I've been there. I can, like, you know, I've taught, you know, people who've been in the Army, Air Force, maybe 4 years, maybe 14 years, maybe 24 years, and I could say I've been there and I know the experiences. So It helps me relate to my students and they can relate to me that much better. But I always typically tell that story as an icebreaker.
Oh, I love it. And it's such a visual too. I, as you were describing it, I was just imagining how much, you know, just the terror of not knowing what to do when that shoe came off. You just had to keep on going because you didn't want to get yelled at even more. So what a great story. And Dr. McNally, thank you so much for being on the show. How could people find you?
So I'm actually on a couple of different places. Of course, the first place they could find me is on LinkedIn. And so it is Dr. Keith McNally after the LinkedIn.com. Actually, everything I do is Dr. Keith McNally. So I kind of— I went to school for it, so I might as well use it. So I've got a DrKeithMcNally.com web page. And if you go to YouTube, I finally made 100 subscribers, so I get my own personal URL. So if you do the whole YouTube.com/c/DrKeithMcNally, You find me. You typically find me with a bunch of Legos, but, uh, either way you're gonna find me.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Get hundreds of amazing business insights from previous guest episodes on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening.
