There are moments in time that each of us have had that evoke a smile, sense of accomplishment or feeling of victory. I have personally experienced my fair share of these benchmark and sometimes life-changing triumphs. Triumphs that are so impactful that you remember exactly where you were and how you felt at the point of notification. My election to University of Houston Student Body Vice Presidency, completion of Ranger School, being awarded the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, winning my first World Series of Poker Tournament and being selected as an Amazon Military Pathways Operations Manager to name a few…
Since you are reading this blog I will elaborate on the latter although it may not even be the best story, but it is surely the most appropriate for my audience here. On September 17th 2018, almost 4 years to the day, I started my Amazon journey at San Antonio 2 (SAT2) in San Marcos, Texas as an area manager and newly minted Military Pathways. Jacqueline (Jackie) Garcia was my process assistant, I named my team “the Herd” and many of my first managers are still friends and mentors today. I remember that first year fondly and have recognized that the relationships that I had still power and enrich me to this day.
My journey with Amazon has been well-documented in this blog so there is no reason to rehash that, but I would like to announce that I have been selected as the Site Lead for Austin 2 (AUS2) the same Amazon Robotics Sortable facility that I have been the Assistant General Manager for the past 14 months. Spending time at every level of management in AR to this point is a bit like a badge of honor for me and probably for many of my fellow Pathways leaders who have traversed the same ground. It was time that I needed to hone my skills as an operator, to find my voice as a manager and to improve my advocacy and support of the associate population. It was much needed time to transition from an operational military leader to a business leader and civilian mentor.
I have used my blog as somewhat of a bully pulpit to inform transitioning Service Members and civilians of a way…my way to move on from long military or civilian careers. But as I look back at the articles the one thing that stands out is the underlying theme of the associate base – our stalwart employees. As the site lead I intend to carry that forward and continue my support of our awesome workforce.
Coming within sight of my final steps as a Military Pathways is bittersweet. As I mentioned above it has been a journey. For those of you that followed my YouTube Vlog which documented the last 100 days of my time in the military you know that retirement became more of a necessity because I failed to set goals beyond key points in my career. I have not done that with Amazon and I have plans to be a big part of this company’s growth for years to come.
Stop in and see us at AUS2. We are going to build a culture and team that is the envy of the network. We will have embraced our new motto that gives us a chance to be as great as we want to be, and you heard it here first…”Excellence Starts Now.”
Lee Flemming is a retired Army Colonel currently working at Austin 2 (AUS2) Fulfillment Center in Pflugerville, Texas as the Site Lead. Lee is a 28-year Army Veteran with extensive operations and management experience. The Boots2Amazon series includes regular installments meant to inform and educate Service Members and the public about life after the military and transitioning into employment at Amazon.
Great article.