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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert Niter III, human performance operations superintendent for logistics, engineering and force protection for Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida, attends a discussion on effective leadership between U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of AFSOC, and Mr. Simon Sinek, a British-American author and inspirational speaker, during the virtual Commando Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development Symposium at the HSU Institute, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Feb. 23, 2022. The symposium aimed to provide an opportunity for Airmen around the globe to participate in a professional development event in which they could hear from subject matter experts and the Air Force’s senior leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau)Simon Sinek, a British-American author and inspirational speaker, and Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command discuss effective leadership while Senior Master Sgt. Robert Niter III, human performance operations superintendent for logistics, engineering and force protection listens along during the virtual Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development Symposium at the HSU Institute, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 23, 2022. The symposium aimed to provide an opportunity for Airmen around the globe to participate in a professional development event in which they could hear from subject matter experts and Air Force senior leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau)
                
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        U.S. Air Force Lt. Cols. Felix Cole, left, chief of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity for Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida, and Laura Easton, left center, commander of advanced capabilities squadron for AFSOC, engage with U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgts. Greg Smith, right center, senior enlisted leader of U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and Cory Olson, command chief of AFSOC, during the virtual Commando Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development Symposium at the HSU Institute, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Feb. 23, 2022. The symposium aimed to provide an opportunity for Airmen around the globe to participate in a professional development event in which they could hear from subject matter experts and the Air Force’s most senior leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau)Lt. Col. Felix Cole, Air Force Special Operations Command diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity chief and Lt. Col. Laura Easton, AFSOC advanced capabilities squadron commander, engage with Chief Master Sgt. Greg Smith, U.S. Special Operations Command senior enlisted leader, and Chief Master Sgt. Cory Olson, AFSOC command chief, during the virtual Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development Symposium at the HSU Institute, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 23, 2022. The symposium aimed to provide an opportunity for Airmen around the globe to participate in a professional development event in which they could hear from subject matter experts and Air Force senior leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau)
                
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        Ms. Emily Armstrong, career broadner for manpower, personnel and services for Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida, listens to a discussion on readiness and inclusion between U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, right, and U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgts. Antonio Cook, left, superintendent for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity for AFSOC, and Robert Niter III, human performance operations superintendent for logistics, engineering and force protection for AFSOC, during the virtual Commando Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development Symposium at the HSU Institute, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Feb. 23, 2022.The symposium also featured U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgts. Greg Smith, senior enlisted leader for U.S. Special Operations Command, and Cory Olson, command chief of Air Force Special Operations Command, Dr. Roy Alston, Simon Sinek, and Jason Womack. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau)Emily Armstrong, a career broadner for manpower, personnel and services with Air Force Special Operations Command, listens to a discussion on readiness and inclusion between Senior Master Sgt. Antonio Cook, AFSOC superintendent for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Niter III, AFSOC human performance operations superintendent for logistics, engineering and force protection, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass, during the virtual Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development Symposium at the HSU Institute, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 23, 2022. The symposium aimed to provide an opportunity for Airmen around the globe to participate in a professional development event in which they could hear from subject matter experts and Air Force senior leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau)
                
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AFSOC hosts 2022 LEAD SymposiumPublished March 6, 2022
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau
                    
                    
                    Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
            **HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) --****Air Force Special Operations Command** recently hosted its Leadership, Equity, Advocacy and Development  (LEAD) Symposium featuring six keynote speakers, including **Lt. Gen. Jim Slife**, commander of AFSOC, and **Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass**. 
 
The virtual symposium aimed to provide an opportunity for Airmen to participate in a virtual professional development event and hear from subject matter experts as well as from the Air Force’s most senior leaders. 
 
Discussions during the symposium included talks on diversity and inclusion, radioactive leadership, building the Airmen we need, among other breakout sessions. 
 
Bass led a discussion on how inclusiveness among Airmen leads to their overall readiness. 
 
“Inclusion is a conscious choice, and whether or not we choose to be inclusive could mean the difference between maintaining a competitive advantage or not,” Bass said. “**Diversity**, and all its components, is an operational imperative, and when we optimize our force and organization with people from all walks of life, we certainly set the conditions to be the most effective.” 
 **Chief Master Sgt. Greg Smith**, **U.S. Special Operations Command** senior enlisted leader and **Chief Master Sgt. Cory Olson**, AFSOC command chief, facilitated a LEAD panel which explored lessons learned from the COVID pandemic, social justice movement, diversity, inclusion and the special operations forces pivot from Afghanistan. 
 
“The needs of our Air Force, to fight and win our nation’s wars have changed at many different inflection points during our service’s history,” Smith said. “Change is constant, and how we adapt to it and how we embrace it is what makes the U.S. Air Force the greatest fighting force in the world.” 
 
Another highlight of the event was a discussion between Slife and Simon Sinek, an author and motivational speaker, on the topic of infinite leadership. 
 
“Infinite games are defined as games known and unknown players, and the rules are constantly changing, much like the geopolitical game the U.S. plays with allies, partners and versus adversaries,” Sinek said. “If life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are being challenged, we will do everything in our power to ensure that we can uphold these ideals.” 
 
One of the breakout sessions, Dagger Athena, facilitated discussions on challenges and best practices in influencing unit culture, and helped participants establish two way-trust in an integrated workplace, understand unconscious biases and barriers to change in the command. 
 
“During LEAD, we successfully launched Dagger Athena,” said Lt. Col. Laura Easton, 492nd Air Force Special Operations Advanced Capabilities Squadron commander. “Our next events will entail grass-roots sourced topics and working groups built with wing-nominated Airmen to tackle female, family, and human-centric barriers to readiness.” 
 
Dagger Athena also featured female AFSOC Airmen within the formation who spoke about their experiences and the day-to-day challenges they face in their careers. 
 
“As leaders, as Air Commandos, and as U.S. Air Force Airmen, it’s our responsibility to create a culture in which all of us can thrive and feel that we can truly do so,” said **Maj. Gen. Eric T. Hill**, AFSOC deputy commander. “Giving our Airmen ownership of their mission and allowing them to feel**empowered** to improve their environment is what it’s all about.”LR 



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