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  • Ride-share Tips: Advice for riding with strangers

    Sara climbed into the backseat of a sport utility vehicle unaware of what’s happening around her. After a night of drinking at a bar in Vacaville, California, she requested a ride home through Uber. Before entering the vehicle, she failed to confirm who the driver is and whether or not she was

  • Tankers: The Bass-Players of the Air Force

    I’ve been a tanker pilot for almost my entire 18-year military career. I am also an avid bass player. It occurred to me that there are many similarities between these two passions.

  • Prowling paw-pulation purr-sents problems

    Imagine the most dangerous predator you can, a species that kills as many as 16 billion birds and small mammals a year, is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as one of the 100 worst invasive animals and has caused the extinction of 65 different species. Well, this

  • Taking opportunities

    Earlier this year, my supervisor asked me, “Hey Carnell, would you mind going to Honor Guard training starting Monday?” My first thoughts were that something must have changed with my wingman’s schedule in our shop. We both intended doing Honor Guard and our leadership chose him to go first. As I

  • Good, not dumb

    A favorite quote of mine is from “Space Balls,” the 1987 movie parody of “Star Wars.” In it, the villain Dark Helmet, says, “Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.”

  • Set the example

    I recently worked for a general who often told a leadership story about guiding a group of Airmen across a tarmac during the Gulf War while missiles were incoming. I had the opportunity to hear the story numerous times and was struck that I did not have a similar story of overcoming adversity in a

  • Invisible Leadership

    What do the words “invisible leadership” make you think of? When I think of invisible leadership, I think of leading people even though I don’t know exactly who is following. Similar to referent power, invisible leadership is when you influence followers because of the followers’ loyalty, respect,