Building Better Leaders

Effective leadership is the foundation of any successful-organization military or civilian. While the consequences of poor leadership can be catastrophic in any organization, poor leadership in the military can change the course of battle, cost lives, and even influence the destiny of a nation. It is for this reason that the Air Force, as well as the other branches of the military, invest heavily in developing sound leadership skills in their young officers. The military is unique as it develops its leaders from within its own ranks. Officers remain in the service for relatively long periods of time thus allowing for education, training, and experience to develop the best leaders possible. While on the whole the Air Force does a credible job with leadership development, this paper argues that Air Force character and leadership training is failing to meet the needs of the force. Nowhere is that more evident than at the squadron commander level. The 2002 Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) Climate survey provided the most startling evidence of this when it identified that a significant number of sitting squadron commanders were rated low in character, leadership, and/or both by the airmen they were charged to lead. The impacts of poor leadership are sobering--low performing units, wavering mission commitment, low job satisfaction, and a direct impact on decisions to leave the Air Force.