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Commentaries

  • Leadership: There's an A.R.T. to it

    The common theme I’ve noticed in the leaders who’ve guided me is their understanding that leadership is an A.R.T. Most of us have heard at least once that leadership is a skill that most of us are not born with. My take is that leadership is a mindset; focused on attitude, relationships and

  • Time management does not exist

    Time management is a concept that many people have become preoccupied with over the years.There are dozens of books available on the topic and many bases offer professional development courses on how to effectively manage time. However, when creating the professional development curriculum here at

  • Embassy life: Challenge accepted

    Opportunities come at all stages in your life; it’s what you do with them that often shapes your future.While stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and at 22 years of service, I received an e-mail from my assignment team that was just that—an opportunity.

  • Are you resilient?

    There are a couple of definitions of resiliency: The ability to return to the original form or position after being bent or the ability to recover from illness, depression or adversity.

  • Generations of time: The oath of enlistment

    It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but rewinding the clock 18 years–in the hot, summer sun of 2000–I had joined hundreds of other Airmen on a parade field at what was then called Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

  • Unbowed, unbent, unbroken

    Full spectrum readiness has been a priority among our Air Force leaders and has translated into countless exercises, numerous training hours in mission-oriented protective posture gear, and realistic scenarios to ensure we are able to respond to any threat anywhere in the world. But what does this

  • 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

  • Be the leader we remember

    In my 25 years in the Air Force, I have had the opportunity to work with many types of leaders. The leaders I remember most are the ones who weren’t afraid to make decisions. Many times, I found that people waivered and failed to make a move because it might be unpopular or be an uncomfortable

  • Working vs. serving: an important difference

    Every military member takes an oath. Among other things, this oath verbally confirms that each of us will support and defend the Constitution of the United States. This is not merely an occupation, this is a service commitment that requires true dedication and sacrifice.