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  • No raise for civilian federal employees

    President Barack Obama proposed a freeze for federal employees' salaries for two years and in December 2010, Congress passed the salary freeze proposal into law. The law reads: "Notwithstanding any other provision of law ... no statutory pay adjustment which (but for this subsection) would otherwise take effect during the period beginning on

  • African-American History Month: Know your nation’s history

    Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as the earliest settlers, it was not until the 20th century they gained a presence in history books. Originally called "Negro History Week," "National African-American History Month," the celebration which started in 1926, highlights the contributions of blacks in American culture. Unknown

  • Deployments: Unrivaled leadership opportunities

    It was May 2008, and with an Air Force-wide wing re-organization pending, I was instructed to make a permanent change of assignment to an aircraft maintenance unit. In only three weeks, I was to lead them on an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment. I had previously deployed, but the task of entering a unit and leading them on a deployment in a few

  • Leadership and commitment

    We are all busy keeping up with the demands of a fast-paced world - as during the holiday season and while preparing for the Installation Excellence Award judging - when the obligations seem to add up faster than the balance on your credit card. Organizations are no different. They find themselves pulled in every possible direction by a multitude

  • The challenge

    We often look to leaders to challenge us -- whether it is to find in ourselves talent we didn't realize we had, to simply build a new process or to find the right person for the job at hand. Ralph Waldo Emerson mused, "our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." As I consider those leaders who inspire me to excel,

  • Strong leadership is money in the bank

    I am a big "Star Trek" fan and am a little suspicious of those who aren't. On the show, there is a machine called a replicator. In theory, a replicator works by rearranging subatomic particles to form molecules and arranging those molecules to form the object. What a great concept for managing an organization's operational requirements. Just

  • “Just Do It”

    Many discussions on leadership open with a famous quotation from some dead guy who was a military chieftain such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France; or Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke, chief of staff of the Prussian army.I prefer referencing a present day hero to whom we all owe a great debt of gratitude -- Gen. (retired) Colin Powell.

  • Leading by example

    Everyone has heard the leadership adage, "you need to lead by example." Leading by example, however, is not strictly the domain of those in traditional leadership roles.All Airmen can lead by example, not only to their subordinates and peers, but also to those higher in rank. In fact, leading by example is not a choice. Everyone leads by example,

  • Servant-Leader philosophy

    There are all kinds of family. As an Air National Guardsman, I carry the mantra "Guard is Family." It is a family born of time, growth and experiences. I have known the Arizona force support squadron chief for 15 years, since she was a staff sergeant, and I was a second lieutenant. I've watched her children grow up and went to her father's funeral.

  • Trust and Communication in Leadership

    I would contend that if you polled the most effective senior leaders today and asked them to convey the two most valuable factors in leadership, they would respond with trust and communication. After all, you cannot have effective communication without trust because without trust people tend to feel insecure and are uncertain about how to
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