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  • Who's planning your career?

    Many of us spend a lot of time making plans to enhance our careers. We ask ourselves questions like "what should my next job be?", "who should I work for?", "what position will I be required to fill before I can move to the next level?", "should I volunteer for that remote assignment?", and "what am I missing in my resume?" I think if we're honest

  • What does it take to “grow where you are planted”?

    A good friend of mine's favorite bit of professional advice is always, "grow where you are planted." I heard him speak at a recent function and right on cue, there it was. On the surface, the meaning of the phrase seems very obvious - do well in whatever job you are put in. But as my mind wandered for the rest of his talk, I realized it is actually

  • Using feedback critical to growth

    What happens when we hear someone say they would like to give us feedback? Our first reaction may cause us to think something was done wrong, when in reality, our leaders, co-workers or friends are just trying to help us improve. Many of us have a negative attitude, feeling insulted, offended, angry, nervous or defensive. The reality is the

  • Medical Commander reflects on what make an effective leader

    Webster's dictionary's definition of a leader is "one that leads or guides; one who is in charge or in command of others; and one who has power or influence." Former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Ronald Fogleman once said, "I don't think you have to be wearing stars on your shoulders or have 'commander' in your title to be a leader. Anybody

  • Anyone can lead with drive, desire

    "As of now, I am in control here in the White House." These infamous words were uttered by previous Secretary of State Alexander Haig, immediately following the news of Gary Hinckley Jr.'s attempted assassination of President Ronald Regan on March 30, 1981. A retired Air Force general, and former chief of staff to President Richard Nixon, Secretary

  • Developing our Future Force

    It has been almost six months since Teresa and I arrived at AETC. Since that time, we have traveled to a number of our AETC bases. Simply put, we are very impressed with the men and women throughout the command executing our mission. The breadth of our responsibility to recruit Airmen as well as to educate and train Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors,

  • What sets the Air Force apart?

    Since my time in recruiting, one thing I often think about is our shared Air Force culture and what that means to each Airman. In the Marine Corps, every Marine is a Rifleman first, and of course everyone knows about "The few, the proud..." In the Army, everyone is a Soldier first, with the Army brand so strong that people in my hometown use the

  • Boom operators indispensible to refueling mission

    It is safe to say there would be no global power, global reach or global vigilance without boom air refueling. Without boom operators there would be no United States boom air refueling at all. Boom operators are essential to extending loiter time of intelligence, surveillance or reconnaissance aircraft and stretching the range of heavily loaded

  • What is a Wingman?

    Airmen today are often confronted with phrases and terms that are intended to improve their lives through development of character, responsibility, and integrity. Sadly, many of these common words are so overused in everyday life that their meaning becomes diluted. For instance, take the title "Wingman." Every Airman serving today has undoubtedly

  • Will you be ready?

    Will you be ready when you get that call? You know - the call you never expect, the call that will come from deep left field, and guaranteed to catch you off guard.We are the best Air Force on this planet. We are that good because of our people and our processes. One common thread across the Air Force is we excel at our jobs. We know the
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