The president of the Veterans Leadership Forum, Austin Miner, reflects on his military service and his time at Halliburton
Each May, Americans honor and celebrate Military Appreciation Month. We pause on Memorial Day to remember the service and sacrifice of those who died fighting for our country, and the month holds several other military anniversaries and celebrations.
The Halliburton Veterans Leadership Forum (VLF) is an employee resource group open to all Halliburton employees that champions service and excellence. The VLF unites veteran and non-veteran employees to foster mentorship, networking, and community service opportunities. Earlier this month, the VLF co-sponsored a project to repair homes for local Houston residents with Rebuilding Together, an organization dedicated to help revitalize local communities.
Austin Miner, global explosives safety officer, is the president of the VLF and serves in the U.S. Army. He recently reflected on his service to his country and Halliburton, and how he hopes VLF will bring together employees of all backgrounds and service levels for support and service opportunities.
Over the last 16 years, I have spent time serving in the Army and the Army National Guard, including several deployments, from Afghanistan and Iraq to state missions for hurricanes and disaster relief. My current assignment is Executive Officer of 3-156 Infantry of the Louisiana Army National Guard, headquartered in Lake Charles. The opportunity to coach, counsel, and mentor the younger generation of leadership to success is one of the most satisfying experiences I have had.
My current role at Halliburton is the global explosives safety officer in the Global HSE/Service Quality organization. When I came to Halliburton in 2019, I experienced a refreshed approach to leadership and an exposure to the Continuous Improvement culture that allowed me to rapidly grow my business acumen. I constantly learn new things and work with a multitude of different cultures. This cultural diversity certainly feeds my most favorable attribute of Halliburton. Leadership demonstrates the value of “listening to the guy on the ground” to create a shared understanding and make the best possible decision for the organization.
The benefit here is that the culture is fairly analogous within Halliburton when compared to the military. Coupled with excellent leadership, talent management is a priority for Halliburton and proves the organization has a vested interest in employee growth. For example, an employee could be career oriented in operations and find themselves in non-operations roles, before earning an executive operations leadership position. This model is congruent with broadening assignments in the military. Additionally, the company is very supportive of the veteran population, as well as those still serving in a part-time capacity. Whether it be through an employee resource group such as the VLF, or the effective HR processes for military leave of absence, Halliburton has been a great place to work as a veteran.
We decided to focus our attention on three things for the VLF. First, we want to help the veteran recruiting pipeline for Halliburton and keep disciplined talent here. Second, provide the ‘coach, counsel, mentor’ approach for Halliburton veterans and open the door for professional relationships that would not normally materialize within the organization. Third, we want to engage with our communities by giving back to the local veteran demographics through action that demonstrates appreciation for those who have served before us.
I am excited to give members something useful and meaningful. I want to provide a platform, audience, and resources to VLF members that mean something to them, and to cultivate an environment of networking, growth, values, discipline, and engagement.
Thank you to Austin and all of Halliburton’s veterans for your service!
