Taking chances, leveraging your skill set and translating your experience; Peter Dunbavin's story from the RAF to SaaS.
There is never a set path to success, life gets in the way and there are always unexpected challenges. If you’ve served in the military, you’ll have a mindset that means you can adapt and overcome these setbacks, championing unconventional, but successful, paths up the career ladder.
In a recent interview, Ben Read, CEO of Redeployable, chatted with Peter Dunbavin. Pete’s journey from the RAF to Xero has hardly been a typical one. It’s a journey that relies upon resilience and adaptability for success. Ben and Pete unpacked this military adaptability advantage, looked at how veterans have many unconscious skills, and discussed how attitudes towards risk lead to unconventional yet seriously productive career paths.
Get stuck in. 👇
(Scroll for key takeaways)
[Ben] Welcome Pete. Can you introduce yourself, and tell us a bit more about your military career and journey on civvie street?
[Pete] I joined the forces at 17, the day after the Twin Towers went down. Safe to say, I had a few second thoughts at that point.
But I went down to RAF Halton and did all the training. I was just a Supplier, so I got through training quite quickly. So I found myself based at RAF Waddington, probably three or four months later. That was my only post and I eventually left the forces about four years later. I’ve had a varied career since then, and have been in sales for about 15 years. I’m now a partner sales manager at Xero, managing a team of six who support and manage accountants and bookkeepers across the Northern territory.
[B] Super interesting. The first thing I want to know is how adaptability came into play after you left the military, especially with your varied career.
[P] There are a number of key strengths you pick up in the military, even unconsciously, and adaptability is definitely one of them. When I left the services, at around 21, I could do things that most other 21-year-olds can’t do. It’s things you can’t necessarily put on a CV. But, when you break it down a little bit and you find yourself in the real world, you start reflecting on some of the intangible things you learned in the military. Like respect and being respectful. That's adaptability. What I found was, when I left, I was comfortable in almost any environment. It was something that evolved during my time in the military, and when I got out into civvie street, I could adapt to any situation.
But it wasn’t just adaptability. There are so many more pieces to it and so much unconscious stuff that you've learned that actually when you get into it and when you throw yourself into an environment, it starts surfacing.
[B] So you've had to adapt over your career, you've got a ton of skills from the military, and then you'll have developed a lot of skills as you’ve moved jobs since.
What are the biggest risks you've taken?
[P] I think ‘risk’ is really difficult to break down. There are always multiple risks. But I think I’ve taken loads of risks throughout my career.
For me, it’s the risk of leaving the military first. It’s a comfortable life, so it was a big sacrifice and a risk. Then I joined university as a mature student. That was a big risk. I backed myself to do a course, even though I didn't really want to do it - but it gave me a foot in the door to work in my dad's business. When I completed the course, though, I did all sorts of stuff. I worked on the roads and other stuff, but I hated it. But it was still a risk worth taking because I threw myself into an environment that was outside my comfort zone and I learned something from it. There’s value in taking these sorts of risks. I learned that in one of my first sales jobs, which ended up with me growing in my career and changing jobs allowed me to later work in Malta.
Another major risk I took was when I took a step back at Virgin during COVID, so I could take care of my daughter. That was, without a doubt, the biggest career risk I ever took. I took 10 months off and used that time to build myself back up and get back into the right headspace. Eventually, there was an opportunity at Xero, and so I applied for the role and got hired externally as a manager.
So to me, there’s no growth without risk. So risk has never been something that I've been scared to do.
[B] You’re right. There’s no growth without risk. And with that, I’d like to move on to the top three military skills you use and rely on at work.
[P] When I think about this question, I think about various things that all intertwine.
To me, if you’re not your best self, then you can’t be your best self at work. So, I hold myself super accountable. That’s something that gets hammered into you in the military, and I say that consistency in your behaviours and actions is so powerful. Adaptability, of course, is another, and we’ve spoken about that as an unconscious skill set. But, I think, with the military environment, you’re forced into these scenarios and you either suck it up, get on with it, or, you know, you wouldn't be fit for that environment anyway.
And then the final one is probably again quite generic, but it depends on how you look at it. It's discipline. I think through the RAF, it's that routine, the standards and the accountability stuff that gets thrown onto your plate at a young age. You will either crash and burn or you get stuck in and learn and be disciplined and own it.
[B] Amazing. Did you find it easier to translate your experience into the right skills needed for your role at Xero?
[P] That’s a good question. But tricky to answer, because there are different aspects to it. On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, no.
I think that ultimately, my skill sets within the sales environment, and my job as a sales leader align with the mission of Xero. So I think, yes, from the military, those skills I mentioned earlier play a big part of my role. But, changing my leadership style took some time. It’s all a bit of a growth cycle. You go through your changes, you watch people do it, and you learn from it all.
[B] And one last question: How would you suggest overcoming the perception that vets are only suited for certain types of jobs?
[P] Another great question. I think you can overcome this in an interview environment.
There are positive preconceptions out there as well, but I bump into people all the time who have an idea of me because I'm ex-military. And it's normally super positive what they think, and that a lot of this we've talked about today, which is true.
So there's lots of positive preconceptions. And within the civvie world, you should lean into those and see them as a strength. I talk about the three P's, which are preparation, passion and personality.
So in an interview environment, it's about storytelling, but doing it with passion, with personality and being prepared within an interview. If you do all those three things, I guarantee, if you're ex-military, you've probably got way better stories to tell than somebody who isn't. Bring that to the table and it can help alleviate any negative preconceptions and make sure you’re ready. Being in the military, and the skills you get from it can become a superpower, especially if you bring it to life in stories and really paint a picture.
[B] Thanks mate. Appreciate it - that was great.
Key Takeaways
Adaptability as a superpower: Military experience cultivates adaptability, a valuable skill in any career, allowing veterans to do well in almost any environment.
There’s no growth without risk: Taking calculated risks is crucial for career progression. Veterans, with their experience in challenging situations, are well-equipped to navigate and benefit from career risks.
Leveraging your skill set: The military instils discipline, accountability, and other valuable skills that translate well into civilian roles, even in unexpected fields like sales.
Lean into the positives: There are positive preconceptions about veterans in the civilian world, which can be leveraged during interviews by showcasing military experiences and skills.
Preparation, passion, and personality: These three P's are key to successful interviews, particularly for veterans who can use storytelling to demonstrate their unique skills and capabilities.
Thinking about a role in SaaS?
SaaS means software as a service. Peter works at Xero, one of the largest software companies that helps its clients handle large amounts of data easily and simply. Xero is an organisation that moves fast and values creativity, human connection, and teamwork. Peter may have had an interesting road to SaaS, but many vets and service leavers end up in this industry due to their highly transferable skill set. They’re:
Target-driven: Aiming for ambitious targets often inspires service leavers to achieve more.
Problem solvers: Identifying and solving customers’ problems is effectively what sales is. You don’t go far in the military without being able to solve a few problems!
Good communicators: Making sure everyone understands the software, the offer and the ongoing support is crucial for customers’ ongoing success with the software.
Adaptable: No customer is the same. Adaptability from the military is paramount for reacting to what customers are saying and working to solve their specific problems.
Remember, no path to success is set. You never know what risky decision you make can lead to. As Peter said, “There is no growth without risk.” so take a leap, you might just land your dream job.
Join the Redeployable community today to meet fellow veterans and service leavers just like Peter. Link here.
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