Leadership in focus

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Lloyd Buzzell
  • 341st Missile Wing Director of Staff
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Starting in September all leaders in Air Force Space Command will begin a series of activities that will focus us on our critical role of leadership. The "Year of Leadership" will have themed months over the next year extending through July 2009. These activities will emphasize leadership attributes and traits through leadership interaction and discussion. 

The Air Force is facing challenges that require "hands on" leadership throughout the Air Force in every facet. This is no surprise or new way of leading or supervising your folks. Air Force Space Command Commander Gen. C. Robert Kehler has given us focus areas for the next 12 months to guide these efforts. In many ways, this is simply a reminder to ensure we are focused on what everyone thinks about each day - leadership! 

The focus areas are topics we already champion each day such as heritage, core values, mentoring, safety and more. This is not to replace leadership development programs of the Air Force but focus on those areas we are all committed to each day. There are action items associated with these monthly focus areas and we will use these as a guide throughout the Year of Leadership. These action items include speakers at PME graduations, leadership-led discussions, increased interaction with leadership and more. 

In September, we will focus on "Back to Basics: Heritage." Throughout the month you will be interacting with wing and squadron leadership to discuss and examine the back to basics approach that our wing has adopted and reading articles focused on this. The need has never be so apparent in our nuclear enterprise as now to ensure we are working on those things that have made us successful. Last month during the 30 day nuclear focus campaign the wing worked hard to examine processes and how we were doing business. This month we will carry this mindset forward to discuss those leadership traits that make the Air Force and our wing successful and remind each other of our history and heritage. Let's not ever forget how we have become so successful over the many years of our nuclear business. 

You will be able to read more about the program throughout the year on the AFSPC public Web site http://www.afspc.af.mil/ and the AFSPC portal Web site to serve as a "Community of Practice" for the year-long focus on leadership. I would encourage you to engage with your leadership and discuss the program and how they view it.