Javier Rodriguez on Civilian Leadership and Finding Himself After the Marine Corps
Javier Rodriguez knew how to lead Marines. After leaving the Marine Corps, he had to figure out how he wanted to lead as himself.
In this episode of The Unsung Veteran, Javier joins John Smith to talk about teaching, adjusting to civilian management, and moving forward when a military career ends differently than planned. He also shares what it meant to live closer to his son and find connection with other veterans.
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Teaching changed how he led
Javier remembers arriving at the schoolhouse as a young sergeant with operational experience and confidence in his specialty. Then he had to teach it.
His first class was supposed to last an hour and a half. He finished in about twenty minutes.
Teaching new Marines made him revisit fundamentals he had moved through quickly while earning qualifications and preparing for deployments. It also helped him recognize what he enjoyed: explaining something clearly, understanding how someone learns, and watching that person progress.
His time in Okinawa brought another lesson. Some young Marines had never been far from home before arriving in another country. Asking about their lives helped him recognize loneliness and homesickness that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Those experiences shaped the care he later brought to civilian teams.
Learning how civilian leadership works
Javier’s first civilian job placed him in a busy transportation operation. Coordinating changing demands felt familiar, and he enjoyed having a team to lead.
Other parts required adjustment. Employees could decline extra hours. They could finish their shifts and go home. The expectations he carried from military service did not automatically fit the workplace he had entered.
His first boss, a retired Army master sergeant, became an important mentor. He encouraged Javier to think about who he was beyond his former rank and how he wanted to approach people.
Javier found that taking an interest in employees—their weekends, families, and concerns—helped him build relationships. He also had to learn how to motivate people within different expectations and boundaries.
When everyone depends on you
Javier describes a habit that became difficult to sustain: whenever something broke, he found a way to make it work.
Over time, too many processes depended on him. Taking time off became harder because people still needed his help. He stayed available, checked his phone, and carried the pressure beyond the workday.
Learning to delegate meant allowing other people to take responsibility. It also meant recognizing that every message did not require an immediate response.
At the time of the interview, he was still working on that adjustment.
Moving forward after an unexpected ending
Javier had planned to make the Marine Corps a twenty-year career. His departure was not on his terms.
He chooses to speak about that ending while leaving out circumstances involving other people. Part of his reason for joining the conversation is to make room for veterans whose service did not end as they had hoped. In his view, a difficult ending does not erase everything that came before it.
Moving forward took time. He remembers dwelling on promotions, assignments, and the things he might have done had he stayed.
Leaving also allowed him to move to Virginia, closer to his son. After years of living apart, being able to participate more regularly in his son’s life mattered deeply to him.
Finding work and community he enjoys
At the time of this conversation, Javier was directing a therapy center for children with autism—a setting he had never expected to work in.
He enjoyed bringing structure to the center and leading its team. He also describes a boss who encouraged him to stop working and leave emails until the next day.
Outside work, Javier found connection through an Irreverent Warriors event. He remembers meeting veterans he had never known and quickly finding familiar humor and shared understanding.
For Javier, those relationships were part of building a life after service. He encourages veterans going through that transition to stay connected and give themselves opportunities to meet people.
Your experience is worth sharing
Javier’s conversation makes room for a complicated career, the lessons he carried forward, and the life he was still building.
If you’re a veteran with a story to share, The Unsung Veteran welcomes you. Interviews are recorded remotely using Riverside. You’ll need an internet connection, a webcam, and headphones.