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23 Mar 2012
Leadership is action, not position
I recently read a quote in an article that I believe defines a true leader. The quote is from Donald H. McGannon and says, "Leadership is action, not position." This phrase epitomizes my leadership philosophy; specifically, I feel people are leaders by virtue of what they do, not the authority they are given or the duty title or position they hold.
23 Mar 2012
Good foundation must for leading
In its simplistic form, leadership is defined as getting others to do what you want. Those who follow this thought process typically revert to using conniving tactics to persuade their followers. Many view this as a shortcut to leadership and find it being an ineffective way to lead, without any long-term value. To build a solid leadership
3 Feb 2012
Words, deeds vital to Air Force success
I had a hard time finding a topic for this article, so I went to the Air Force Times to see the latest headlines. Two items I found that seemed unrelated popped out at me.The first was the release of Air Force Doctrine Document 1. This was the first revision in eight years. The second was the headline of four Marines defiling Taliban corpses. The
29 Jan 2012
The Air Force and my American dream
I immigrated to the United States in 1989 when I was 26 years old. Coming to the United States with English as my second language was very challenging and I was not sure if I would be able to find a stable job. I ended up joining the U.S. Air Force in 1991. I was hesitant about being in the military, but I decided to give it a try after exhausting
20 Jan 2012
Good leadership begets good leaders
As military members we all can relate to leadership, whether as an airman basic in basic military training relying on element leaders, dorm chiefs and ultimately the assigned training instructor; or a squadron commander who is tasked with leading those below him, as well as adhering to the leadership above. When someone is a good leader, it can be
13 Jan 2012
Leadership's responsibility to ensure safe driving
The past several months have not been kind to government vehicles. A rash of government-owned vehicle accidents has plagued the base and the majority of these could have been prevented. Causative factors include inattentiveness, lack of respect for government property, failure to properly plan ahead, and an overall lack of situational awareness. It
16 Dec 2011
Caring for people requires emotional intelligence
A little more than a year ago I had the great opportunity to attend the AETC Commanders' Course. Being a new commander I was very excited and looked forward to learning the "secret handshake" for command success. The course agenda made it evident that we were going to spend some quality time with Gen. Stephen Lorenz, the four-star in charge of AETC
18 Nov 2011
Our world needs heroes
Our world needs heroes.The term hero is often overused and misunderstood, similar to the word warrior. Fortunately for our country, our military is full of heroes. Maj. Troy "Trojan" Gilbert is certainly one of those heroes. Gilbert deployed to Iraq in 2006 while stationed at Luke Air Force Base as an F-16 instructor pilot. He was killed in action
14 Oct 2011
A carrot, an egg, a cup of coffee
Resiliency.Luke Airmen are dedicated to train the world's greatest F-16 pilots and maintainers while deploying mission-ready warfighters. Every Air Force organization is focused on that mission while standing ready to deploy anywhere. These two critical missions present their own challenges and adversities. Take for example preparing for the
23 Sep 2011
We are all Airmen...Period!
I've never had the option of choosing who I wanted to supervise. I've never been allowed to conduct interviews for possible coworkers. If given the option, I would not be able to choose, or not choose, a subordinate or coworker by the type of music they listen to, where they were born, or what they like to do for a hoppy. The choice would strictly