Dec. 14, 2012 Operational Readiness November concluded a challenging period, punctuated by two exhausting exercises. The first was our annual participation in USSTRATCOM's annual GLOBAL THUNDER exercise and the second was an Operational Readiness Exercise which is intended to prepare the wing for next year's Operational Readiness
Nov. 28, 2012 Making the hard choice As a commander and leader in the Air Force, I have learned my primary role in accomplishing the mission and taking care of Airmen is to make decisions. The unit - whether it's a flight, squadron, group or wing - is comprised of professionals with various degrees of expertise. These Airmen,
Oct. 26, 2012 Doing the hard things Do you do hard things? Would you choose to do something you don't like to do? I took a professional survey once that was designed to help me choose a career. It asked a lot of questions such as, "would you rather type a label or glue a label on a bottle?" or "would you rather work outside or
Oct. 18, 2012 Getting to yes If there is one thing certain in today's military environment, it's that there are plenty of problems to solve, taskers continue, augmentees and volunteers are needed and resources ebb and flow. As we experience dwindling resources, leaders need to ensure our organizations have the proper starting
Oct. 2, 2012 The good in confrontation Throughout my years in various personnel fields, classifier, manpower specialist and currently the equal opportunity director, I have heard one constant from supervisors and employees, "I hate confrontation." Confrontation is a form of communication that is essential when striving for effective
Sept. 10, 2012 A motto to live by I would like to take a moment to talk with you about a motto I live by in my personal and professional life - a motto that I will never perfect, but one that continues to perfect me.As a military member or an individual associated with the military machine you are accustomed to a structured work
Aug. 24, 2012 The Balancing Act Nine years ago, I thought it wise to tell my wife she needed a hobby. Stop laughing, it gets better. After two weeks of mulling it over, she let me know that she wanted to go back to school with the eventual goal of medical school. Did I mention we had a toddler and a preschooler at the time? Well,
Aug. 14, 2012 My job is prosecuting sexual assault Here's a simple truth...sexual offenders reject our core values of integrity, service and excellence, in favor of following their own base, undisciplined, criminal desires. Most sexual assaults committed by Airmen are "blue on blue," or Airmen victimizing other Airmen. So in addition to rejecting
Aug. 7, 2012 The importance of building relationships Relationships and how we treat people matter. I have learned many things over my career but none more essential than the importance of relationships and treating people right. The importance of building relationships and treating people right can help you achieve mission success. I have worked at
June 26, 2012 Fixing the Gap I read in Inc. magazine that the most productive people take breaks, are great collaborators, and have lives outside of work. I found myself thinking back to that blurb and hoping that all the squadron members with whom I work with have a life outside of work that, in fact, includes people that have