Developing Your Full Range of Leadership


Book Description

Leadership is a daunting subject for most developing leaders, but eventually all followers will be called upon to lead. Where do we start? What model or theory do we utilize? The choices become overwhelming for anyone attempting online searches. Everywhere you look are leadership books, programs, degrees, workshops, seminars, boot camps, and even mobile apps! Many organizations at Air University are utilizing the full range of leadership approach. Initially introduced by James MacGregor Burns in 1978 and Bernard Bass in1985, these transformational and transactional leadership styles have sustained nearly four decades. Through (1) idealized transformational leader behaviors, one may raise the levels of his or her ethical and moral values while committing to "doing the right thing" for himself or herself and his or her followers: (2) by using inspirational motivation, leaders learn to articulate a vision to energize followers to accomplish more than they ever thought possible; (3) by intellectually stimulating followers, leaders will challenge followers to create and innovate as they reframe problems with renewed visions; and by providing individualized consideration, leaders may learn to incorporate each member's distinct gifts and talents as individual contributors to the organizational team. These transformational behaviors can offer connections to reaching (4) authentic transformational leadership by incorporating not only ethics and values but also, according to John Sosik, virtues and character strengths to refine one's leadership acumen, ameliorating leader-follower dynamics




Lorenz on Leadership


Book Description




Commanding an Air Force Squadron


Book Description

The privilege of commanding an Air Force squadron, despite its heavy responsibilities and unrelenting challenges, represents for many Air Force officers the high point of their careers. It is service as a squadron commander that accords true command authority for the first time. The authority, used consistently and wisely, provides a foundation for command. As with the officer's commission itself, command authority is granted to those who have earned it, both by performance and a revealed capacity for the demands of total responsibility. But once granted, it much be revalidated every day. So as one assumes squadron command, bringing years of experience and proven record to join with this new authority, one might still need a little practical help to success with the tasks of command. This book offers such help. “Commanding an Air Force Squadron” brings unique and welcome material to a subject other books have addressed. It is rich in practical, useful, down-to-earth advice from officers who have recently experienced squadron command. The author does not quote regulations, parrot doctrine, or paraphrase the abstractions that lace the pages of so many books about leadership. Nor does he puff throughout the manuscript about how he did it. Rather, he presents a digest of practical wisdom based on real-world experience drawn from the reflection of many former commanders from any different types of units. He addresses all Air Force squadron commanders, rated and nonrated, in all sorts of missions worldwide. Please also see a follow up to this book entitled “Commanding an Air Force Squadron in the Twenty-First Century (2003)” by Jeffry F. Smith, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF.







Creech Blue


Book Description

Colonel Slife chronicles the influence of the late Gen Wilbur L. "Bill" Creech7a leader, visionary, warrior, and mentor7in the areas of equipment and tactics, training, organization, and leader development. His study serves both to explain the context of a turbulent time in our Air Force's history and to reveal where tomorrow's airmen may find answers to some of the difficult challenges facing them today. Colonel Slife, who addresses such controversial topics as the development of the Army's AirLand Battle doctrine and what it meant to airmen, is among the first to describe what historians will surely see in years to come as the revolutionary developments of the late 1970s/early 1980s and General Creech's central role. Creech Blue enlightens the Air Force on its strongly held convictions during that period and challenges the idea that by 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the Air Force had forgotten how to wage a "strategic" air campaign and was dangerously close to plunging into a costly and lengthy war of attrition had it not been for the vision of a small cadre of thinkers on the Air Staff. In exploring the doctrine and language of the decade leading up to Operation Desert Storm, Colonel Slife reveals that the Air Force was not as shortsighted as many people have argued.




The Armed Forces Officer


Book Description

In 1950, when he commissioned the first edition of The Armed Forces Officer, Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall told its author, S.L.A. Marshall, that "American military officers, of whatever service, should share common ground ethically and morally." In this new edition, the authors methodically explore that common ground, reflecting on the basics of the Profession of Arms, and the officer's special place and distinctive obligations within that profession and especially to the Constitution.




Brown Bag Lessons


Book Description

Brown Bag Lessons, The Magic of Bullet Writing centers on effective bullet writing and guarantees immediate improvement. Skillful writing doesn't have to be difficult. No other book approaches writing the way this book does, and no other book teaches these techniques. After reading this book, you will fully understand how to write strong bullets and "why" every word matters. In 2003 the author created a seminar to teach a fair and consistent process to evaluate recognition packages. This seminar transformed an entire organization within six months. Since then, the techniques have decisively transformed the writing, recognition, and promotions of every organization applying them. The practices in this book continue to positively impact the Air Force and sister services through professional military education. In addition, the concepts have helped transitioning service members and college students better communicate acquired capabilities and competencies on their résumés. Read on to discover the "magic" and open your eyes to a brand new way to look at writing. The US Air Force promotion system emphasizes the importance of documenting your very best accomplishments. Under this system, promotion comes from the most recent performance reports, so Airmen must communicate the best accomplishments and not just words that fill the white space. This Magic of Bullet Writing will ensure you know how to articulate not just what you are doing but also convey your strongest competencies and capabilities so the promotion board can fully assess your readiness for promotion. Training materials that correspond to the lessons in this book are available for free download at http: //www.brownbaglessons.com. Are you ready for the magic?




Heirpower!


Book Description

"So you're 22 years old, you've just gotten your commission, you've arrived at your first duty station, you've met with your commander, and you're now 'in charge' of a group of enlisted men and women, all of whom have been in service longer than you, know a whole lot more about military life than you, and are expecting more than you know. To top it all off, your first 'subordinate' happens to be a 30-year veteran of every war you ever read about, and his rank is, yes, E-9. He's not an E-10 only because that rank doesn't exist. Now what do you do? Let me tell you. . . ." In Heirpower! Eight Basic Habits of Exceptionally Powerful Lieutenants, CMSgt Bob Vásquez, an Air Force veteran of more than 30 years, now serving as director of a freshman seminar at the US Air Force Academy's Center for Character Development, shares the views of the enlisted force in a powerful, humorous, anecdotal way that will educate and entertain you. Bob's eight habits will empower you to become an Exceptionally Powerful Lieutenant!