Tag: Leadership
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The Power of Empathy
“Before you disagree with somebody, walk a mile in their shoes…” “… and if you still disagree with them, you’re a mile away. And you have their shoes.” Countless divisions have plagued our country since its roots. Indigenous versus colonists. Black versus white. Male versus female. Republican versus Democrat. Pro-choice versus pro-life. Conservative versus liberal.…
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Observations: Facts and Fears by James Clapper
Fascinating read by a distinguished career intelligence officer. I must admit, this book challenged some of my expectations. Despite James Clapper’s lengthy career spanning the U.S. Air Force (including extensive time in the National Security Agency or NSA, and the Defense Intelligence Agency or DIA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency or NGA, and Office of the…
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Don’t Sneak Out of Going Away
Retirement ceremonies, going-away celebrations, hails-and-farewells aren’t about you! No matter what organization you’ve been a part of, somebody has left it. They’re relocating, going to another organization, retiring, or maybe just transferring to a different work center at the same location. Now it’s your turn and it’s time to rehash the same tired script that…
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The Power of Reactivity
We hear all the time about the need to be proactive, but let’s analyze how being reactive wins conflicts. Sir Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Many in both the military and in private industry will crow on about the importance of being proactive. They’ll spend millions of dollars in rushing a program forward to be…
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Excellence in All We Do
It’s an aspiration, not an end state. Like all services, the U.S. Air Force has a list of core values that help guide each Airman in the absence of formal guidance. The belief holds that if you follow all of these, you’ll do the right thing, even if you do it the wrong way. They’re…
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What’s Your Why?
If you don’t know why you’re doing something, your effort is in vain. This article incorporates concepts from the U.S. Air Force’s “Comprehensive Airmen Fitness” resiliency program. My examples and uses are my own. Without a doubt, one of my favorite motivational speakers is Dr. Eric Thomas. It is impossible not to get completely pumped about whatever you’re trying to accomplish in life…
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Three Expectations
As a senior enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, I have three expectations of officers. A senior non-commissioned officer – or SNCO – carries a wide range of responsibilities in the U.S. military. Depending on their position, they are expected to be the top-tier technical experts, competent administrators of enlisted-specific issues, supervisors, program managers, functional…
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Military Professionalism: How to Do it Right
It starts with recognizing that war is a family business. In 2015, I was attending the U.S. Air Force’s Mathies Non-Commissioned Officer Academy down in Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. While I certainly valued the lessons I learned through the course material; I like to tell people that the real benefit to in-residence professional military education (PME)…
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How to Ride a Dead Horse
James Clapper’s wonderful and humorous anecdote on Washington D.C. I’m in the middle of reading former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper’s memoir, Facts and Fears. While I’m enjoying the career intelligence professional’s insights on a variety of issues, I had to go back and re-read a particular joke one more time. It was such an enjoyable…
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Only a Few Lives Left
An inspiring story of resilience from Master Sergeant Jake “TJ” Miller MSgt Jake “TJ” Miller Recently, a great friend of mine, Master Sergeant Jake “TJ” Miller, asked for some help editing a short autobiographical work focused on some of his very personal resiliency challenges. I met Jake back in 2014 while on deployment and was…
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COVID-19 and Mission Command
The circumstances forced by a constantly evolving viral pandemic force us to a Mission Command environment. What is Mission Command, and why does it apply? “Mission command is the conduct of military operations through decentralized execution based on mission-type orders. Successful mission command demands that subordinate leaders at all echelons exercise disciplined initiative and act…
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OODA? I Hardly Knew Ya!
While many in the military have (finally) learned about the OODA Loop and the man that created it, it’s still an understudied approach that deserves more analysis. As I recently discussed, I entered the Air Force in a long training pipeline and sought inspiration to keep me pushing forward. While many writers, thinkers, poets, etc. entered…