Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Brig. Gen. Ronald Jolly Sr., commander of the 82nd Training Wing, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, engages with students attending a panel discussion on ‘Leading the Air Force Family’ during a Leader Development Course for Squadron Command session, Nov. 5, 2018, at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Along with Jolly, the panel consisted of a wing command chief, squadron commander and first sergeant. (U.S. Air Force photo by William Birchfield)181105-F-NG836-2
                        
                        
                        Brig. Gen. Ronald Jolly Sr., 82nd Training Wing commander, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, engages with students attending a panel discussion on ‘Leading the Air Force Family’ during a Leader Development Course for Squadron Command session, Nov. 5, 2018, at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Along with Jolly, the panel consisted of a wing command chief, squadron commander and first sergeant. (U.S. Air Force photo by William Birchfield)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Retired Lt. Gen. Tom Jones, a former vice commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, welcomes students to the Leader Development Course for Squadron Command class, Oct. 30, 2018, at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Jones provided one of several senior leader perspectives, facilitating discussions about leadership with the students during the eight-day course. (U.S. Air Force photo by William Birchfield)181030-F-NG836-1
                        
                        
                        Retired Lt. Gen. Tom Jones, a former U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa vice commander, welcomes students to the Leader Development Course for Squadron Command class, Oct. 30, 2018, at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Jones provided one of several senior leader perspectives, facilitating discussions about leadership with the students during the eight-day course. (U.S. Air Force photo by William Birchfield)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Air University’s new leader development course helps squadron commanders ‘thrive’Published Dec. 28, 2018
                    
                    By Phil Berube
                    
                    
                    Air University Public Affairs
            **MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) --**Air University’s newest course will help future squadron commanders thrive – not just survive – in command positions.
Structured as a foundational course that builds on leadership experiences and education, the new Leader Development Course for Squadron Command equips potential commanders with the tools to create more “effective, adaptive and lethal” squadrons.
To aid Airmen in developing these qualities within their squadrons, the course’s primary emphasis is to instill in them a greater mastery of the “human domain,” or people skills. Even technical skills such as personnel and budget are presented in context of a squadron commander and the impact these aspects have on squadron members and the mission.
“Squadrons where people know their purpose, feel part of the team and are trained, empowered and trusted to achieve represent our highest performing organizations,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Hosler, Ira C. Eaker Center for Professional Development course director. “These conditions are set by leaders who create the right kind of environment with their people. The Air Force has some of the most highly skilled technical experts in the world, but leadership experts at the squadron level are people who can unleash Air Force capabilities.”
The eight-day course goes to the heart of Air Force senior leaders’ vision of revitalizing squadrons by strengthening the interpersonal development of leadership teams. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein identified the need to revitalize squadrons—calling them the “beating heart of the Air Force”—as the first of his top three focus areas shortly after entering the position in 2016.
Air Force and Air University leaders started looking at the need for a leader development course following a squadron revitalization survey of nearly 20,000 total force Airmen and spouses in 2017. A common theme among respondents was that the Air Force needed to pay more attention to how it develops its leaders.  
“Airmen expressed that leadership training and development should be taking place at all levels in the Air Force, particularly at the squadrons, as this is the key point where leaders can make a tremendous impact on the mission and the Airmen they lead,” said Lt. Col. Michael Harris, deputy director, Revitalizing Squadrons, Air Force Strategic Integration Group.
While the course fulfills its purpose of preparing potential commanders to lead individual Airmen, it also feeds into the Air Force’s broader “continuum of learning.”
The continuum of learning is the Air Force’s approach that recognizes that Airmen development is not just a function of professional military education and technical training schools, but development and learning occurs across a continuum of education, training and experience that takes place both formally and informally.  Air Education and Training Command is leading a series of initiatives to put learning at the center of Air Force culture and help make it part of an Airman’s daily life in the squadron. The command fully understands that the military that can aggressively continue to learn and adapt the fastest will be more lethal and ready to win the next war.
“This course is a great complement to the Air Force’s leadership training and development continuum,” said Harris. “It also fills a gap and recognizes that leadership, like other skills, must be developed and practiced. Leadership is not simpler, more obvious or any less important as to require less practice than any technical skill.” 
Course content is built around seminar-based discussions, practical exercises and case studies facilitated by recently graduated squadron commanders and augmented by civilian experts in leadership as well as adjunct professors and senior mentors.
The mentors are a mix of Air Force leaders, such as retired general officers and active wing commanders and wing command chiefs, said Hosler.  
“In both cases,” he said, “students will have a unique opportunity to engage with current or recent senior-level Air Force leaders in small seminar-sized settings where frank and open discussions about leadership and decision-making occur.”
Open and honest communication with those up and down the chain of command, building self-awareness, valuing critical thinking and aligning Air Force core values with the unit mission are important aspects of effective leadership featured in the course.
“Students can expect to learn more about themselves and their tendencies, and more importantly, know what it’s like to be the person interacting with them,” said Hosler. “Most importantly, they’ll learn about the extreme opportunities they’ll have to impact the Air Force and its people. We hope they’ll come away inspired to thrive in command and make a positive difference in the lives of Airmen.”
Learning, however, won’t stop at the end of the eight days.
While in attendance, each student will work with an instructor to create a personalized self-improvement plan and a plan to further improve leadership development at his or her base. The plan will then be sent to the student’s commander to continue working on development.
“We think this unique aspect has a chance to inject some energy into squadron-level learning,” said Hosler.
Course candidates are wing commander-nominated active duty, Reserve and Guard officers with nine to 16 years’ time-in-service tracking toward command or GS-13 civilians who could fill civilian-equivalent director positions. The ideal student is about one-to-three years away from their first squadron command, said Hosler. Each class will be made up of around 66 students and, with classes running year-round, have approximately 1,000 annual graduates.Air Force 



commander 



leadership 



training 



education 



AF 



squadron 



development 



leader 



course 



Effective 



adaptive 



lethal 



Leader Development Course for Squadron Command 



CSAF 



revitalize squadrons 



Leadership Development Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander emphasizes five focus areas during AFA Warfare Symposium
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil