This world can make us jaded. This is particularly the case for veterans like myself who in their service have dealt with scary times, had to endure disability,  seen the darker side of humanity, and deal with a soul crushing bureaucracy thinly veiled by motivational platitudes. This is why many of us veterans seem to posses slightly cynical attitudes towards large organizations and motivational buzz-words. This is why my encounter with a sale rep at Salesforce on Veterans day was so surprising... and refreshing

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I've been helping the non-profit Operation Enduring Gratitude with their Salesforce implementation and needed pricing on one of the Salesforce products. The sales rep, working on veterans day while others were enjoying a day off, called to give me the information I needed. During our conversation, he explained that he just got off a difficult call with an abusive customer. I don't know about you, but I find it challenging to keep a good attitude after such situations. But not this rep. He was wonderfully cordial and helpful. Then as we chatted further about Veterans Day and the friends and family members of his that were veterans, he asked me something incredibly thoughtful and heart-warming.

"What does Veterans Day mean to you?" he asked. I was taken aback. I've never been asked that question. While rambling out a less than coherent and lengthy response, the question was making me think about Veterans Day, and veterans and their needs perhaps more than I had ever thought before. It made me think of those that sacrificed much more than myself, only mildly disabled from my service.

It brought to mind a friend that I had served with in the First Gulf War who made it back like myself. But the day I got back to my base, I picked up the base paper and saw his name as one of those killed in a recent helicopter crash. For many of us, this day is a day to enjoy ourselves, to rest ourselves, thinking mostly of ourselves. It was a reminder of how important it is to think about others, their difficulties, their sacrifices, and that of their families. My friend had two small children who were since fatherless. We should remember that on Veterans Day we should also be remembering the families of veterans, because they sacrifice too.

But my main point in writing this is to call out and offer a salute to Miles Robertson of Salesforce for taking the time to hear the story of this old veteran when he was probably feeling deflated from his previous call. And to salute Salesforce for hiring such a rep and creating a culture that fosters such attitudes.

If you are ever exposed to the Salesforce community, you will hear this term Ohana used quite often. My experience with Miles Robertson that day demonstrates that it's not just the typical marketing buzz-word employed by so many large organizations. but an example of an aspect of corporate culture done right. And it made this former Marine, perhaps a bit less cynical..