COMMENTARY SEARCH

  • Lorenz on Leadership: Creating candor

    03/23/09 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- If you ever have the chance to observe a flight debrief after a training sortie, you should jump at the chance. You will witness something special. In the debrief, everyone makes constructive comments -- positive and negative -- regardless of their

  • How capable for combat are you?

    A fighter squadron commander is writing an article for the base paper. Here we go ... jets, bombs, leather jackets, sunglasses, egos and, "There I was ...," stories. Nope, not this time! This short diatribe is about taking a self assessment of your ability to not only execute your specific job but

  • Right is right

    Thunderbolts please bear with me for a moment while I get on a soapbox... There are accepted "right" things that we do in our profession like saying, please, thank you, yes sir and no ma'am, and saluting Old Glory at 5 p.m. We know it's right to be a good wingman ... to look out for each other. We

  • 'Join' ... for success

    It's the New Year and many of you have made resolutions to make 2009 the best year of your life. Making resolutions and keeping them are two separate and distinct actions. While it's possible to make significant changes in your life, it's not easy - that's why they're called resolutions. You'll need

  • Get educated on being best Airman possible

    We frequently hear the phrase "educate yourself" in the Air Force. When I say to my Airmen to educate yourself, I'm not referring to on-the-job training or off-duty education. Not that those aren't important, but I mean educating yourself on information out there pertinent to you as the lowest

  • Lorenz on Leadership: At War in Cyberspace

    "The stark reality is that the bad guys are winning and our nation is at risk." That's what retired Air Force Lieutenant General Harry Raduege, Jr., writes in an insightful article about cyberspace titled, "Evolving Cybersecurity Faces a New Dawn." As he describes our many challenges in cyberspace,

  • Air Force Instructions are back to basics

    As the 56th Fighter Wing prepares for the upcoming operational readiness inspection in May we will all review our inspection checklists to ensure compliance and mission readiness. One of the unstated benefits of higher headquarters inspections is getting back to basics; the inspection forces us to

  • Leadership is action, not position

    I recently read an article that had a quote I believe defines a true leader. The quote, "Leadership is action, not position," is from Donald McGannon. This phrase epitomizes my leadership philosophy. I feel people are leaders by virtue of what they do, not the authority they are given or the duty

  • A Matter of Choice: Enhancing the decision making process

    It is believed that the more choices one has, the easier it is to make a good decision. However, current studies in leadership are finding that having too many choices can be overwhelming and complicate decision making significantly. For example, in the Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz indicates

  • Lorenz on Leadership: The continuum of training

    I believe we should work our boss' boss' problems. I have found that if we see the bigger picture -- if we understand the larger context of our challenges -- we will make better decisions. Since assuming command of Air Education and Training Command, I have been trying to understand where our