Veteran Air Force Officer Chris Finerty Looks Back On Career Experiences And Life Lessons

Self-reflection is a crucial skill for any leader to possess, as it’s the process that demands an individual examine themselves, their actions, and their goals to judge the extent to which they’ve succeeded in their goals, or acted in alignment with their values. Those people who can look back, reflect, and take lessons from their history are the ones who will pass their wisdom on to peers and protégés, raising the quality of leadership moving forward. Whether standing on the precipice of retirement or merely pausing at a career crossroads to consider options, it’s important to look back, remember, and learn.

After a career spanning multiple decades of leadership in the United States Air Force and the National Security sector, Chris Finerty has plenty of experience to look back on. He’s an objective-focused and collaborative senior leader with a proven record of solving complex problems. As a pilot, an officer, and an industry subject-matter expert, Finerty’s leadership credentials are undeniable.

As he leaves his military career behind him and considers further endeavors in the national security sector, Finerty is taking the opportunity to reflect on what he’s learned and use those experiences to anticipate future challenges and opportunities. Looking beyond his career, Finerty values the time to examine his options and consider what’s truly important to him: his family.

Better Leadership, Better Business

In his over 30 years of experience, Chris Finerty has seen businesses and individual professionals make the same mistakes time and time again, often failing to overcome simple challenges as a result. One example of this is how many institutions treat their most important asset as the most expendable: their people. Between social media and traditional media outlets, institutions are deeply concerned with scrutiny, and respond to that scrutiny by cutting staff instead of defending their human assets. Individuals trying to lead with integrity and impact, in Finerty’s view, need to resist this impulse and stand behind their teams.

“Leading people should be based on far more than just a risk assessment,” he says. “The challenge for leaders is to have the courage to do the right thing, not the legal thing, and to know the difference.”

Given his own leadership experience, it’s no surprise that Finerty has advice for anyone looking to grow as a leader in their field, whatever it may be. His key takeaway is this: there is never a wrong time to make the right decision. The right decision may come with consequences, may lack the allure of potential accolades, and may diverge from how things have historically been done, and that’s okay. As a leader, integrity and dignity are more important than bowing to institutional pressures, and doing the right thing consistently will pay off in the end.

“I think we all know what ‘right’ looks like and we should be ready to stand in the storm for what is right,” Finerty says. “It may cost you professionally, but your dignity and integrity will remain intact.”

Keeping Grounded Through The Years

Nobody leads teams and drives business as long as Chris Finerty without learning how to navigate hardship. Maintaining motivation during challenging times is even more important for leaders than it is for other professionals, as a disheartened and discouraged leader will negatively impact the entire team. Learning how to weather the storm and stay motivated is critically important, and everyone turns to something different to keep grounded. For Finerty, his family has always been his greatest strength.

“During challenging times in my personal life, I try to remember that tough times don’t last, that I am fortunate to have been born in this country and, most importantly, I have two wonderful kids I get to care for,” he says. “Staying motivated and grounded during times of professional challenges is a bit easier. Nothing should match the importance of your children; when people put too much weight on their professional life, the inevitable bumps will be a persistent source of anguish. Never let your work become your life.”

Now that he stands at a career crossroads, Chris Finerty is finding that ‘work-life balance’ is best skewed toward the latter than the former. After decades of hard work, he looks back on his career and wishes he could have taken some of his own advice. Focusing on community and family, not faceless institutions likely to discard their staff whenever convenient, has led to a healthier and happier life (and more productive work).

“Most will say they have a work-life balance, but almost none have sat with their thoughts and admitted they are lying to themselves,” Finerty explains. “Work-life balance isn’t taking two weeks of vacation every year, but working while on vacation. It isn’t being home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and weekends, and using that time to get caught up on emails.  Just because you tell everyone you have a work-life balance doesn’t make it true.”

Focusing On Family

Chris Finerty is leveraging his energies toward his children, his family, and his community while he considers further career options. Much of his time outside of work is spent building up his community, mentoring and coaching his son, and taking care of his daughter’s needs. To Finerty, there are few more meaningful activities than giving back and building a future for his children and their peers. As a member of his daughter’s school’s PTA, he experiences and witnesses firsthand the value of volunteer work.

“I’ve seen some incredible sacrifice and dedication having served over three decades in the military, but I would put every employee at the special needs school my daughter attends in the same category when it comes to dedication and sacrifice,” he says. “The military gets very frequent recognition for its service, but our children’s teachers get almost none. They deserve far better, and I’m happy to be part of the PTA where we get to support and recognize all the employees at my daughter’s school.”

Outside of his volunteer work, he spends a lot of time mentoring his son. He knows that there’s little he can do to make the world easier for his children, but there’s a great deal he can do to make them more prepared to overcome it. His words for his son embody his own leadership paradigm and the lessons he would pass down to any future leader in business or beyond: “We have one job: to protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

“My job isn’t to minimize or eliminate the difficult times, rather to give him the tools to face and deal with life’s inevitable rough spots,” he says. “That mentoring and coaching combined with the continuous advocacy my beautiful daughter needs is how I plan to contribute.”

Whether it’s through national security work or through spending time with his family and their community, Chris Finerty is committed to making a positive impact wherever he is.