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  • Resilient leadership

    There is no cookie cutter approach or silver bullet slide presentation that will give you everything you need to know to be successful in life. Likewise, the definition of success is different from one person to the next. My path to success is a continuous process; however, I firmly believe

  • We are grading diamonds

    The U. S. Air Force is going through a dramatic change and has been for the last 10 years. At the onset of my Air Force career, an officer could retire with 20 years as a major and I have personally retired staff sergeants with 20 years of service. Those are now things of the past. Our officer

  • Sexual assault survivor: ‘You are not alone’

     I remember the day like it was yesterday. My heartbeat echoed in my head as I attempted to dry my sweaty hands on my jeans. I was 21 years old, sitting in a Korean court room, waiting to be questioned by prosecutors. How I ended up there was unreal. Just a few months earlier I was happy; I had a

  • What’s your social thumbprint?

    We've all done it; in a vain sense of curiosity to see if our social presence has made any kind of impact on the world. Just admit it - you've Googled yourself.Since entering the golden age of social media, it seems that now it's not hard to gather a handful of information on just about anyone, even

  • Invest in yourself

    Over the years I've been fortunate enough to receive great advice and I want to take an opportunity to share some of the things that have worked for me and others.  This short read covers a few lessons I have learned about savings, education and health.  It is meant to provide just a few tactics

  • Overcoming failures

    You will fail. The question is, how will you respond?This reminds me of a parable of the carrot, egg and coffee.A senior airman was distraught when he learned he did not make staff sergeant after his first time testing. His staff sergeant supervisor saw a teaching opportunity and the next day he

  • From start to finish; lessons learned

    Today is Friday, March 13, 2015.  Today, makes 23 years and three months since I arrived at basic military training to start my military service.  Today is also the day of my retirement ceremony, the symbolic end to my military career. As I look back at my time in the Air Force, I'm extremely

  • Pursuing dreams to fly, fight and win

    Have you ever been told you didn't have what it takes while pursuing a goal? Did you believe it?I did.My final year in college, the Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment commander met with each senior to discuss our Air Force future. When asked what I hoped to do, like most of my peers I

  • There is no substitute for hard work

    One of the questions I am often asked is, "How did you get promoted to chief master sergeant so quickly, with less than 20 years of service?"  Although there is no easy answer or one specific event that has led me to being in this humbling position, I normally answer by attributing making the rank

  • Leadership decisions: When to Fire Someone

    Being a squadron commander has been an eye-opening experience and I'm thankful for the opportunity.  I've gotten the chance to lead some of the Air Force's best Airmen at the edge of the frontier.  But what should you do as a leader when you're not leading the best Airmen and your organization's