“It’s hard to understand inclusion until you have been excluded.” – Billie Jean King
Airmen,
One year ago, I launched the CSAF Leadership Library to encourage us to think critically about leadership and world events. I hope you have found these thought-provoking titles relevant to your professional and personal development and have engaged your fellow Airmen with your views and ideas.
This March, we celebrate Women’s History Month to recognize the significant impacts women have on Air Force history as airpower leaders and innovators. Decades before the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was signed in 1948, American women were already making significant impacts in aviation. The Legend: The Bessie Coleman Story features Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman, the first African-American woman and woman of Native-American descent to earn her pilot’s license. “Queen Bess” refused to take “no” for an answer. Excluded from American flying schools because of her gender and race, she became nationally recognized for her daredevil flying stunts. Her achievements and contributions remain an inspiration and a symbol for our generation.
If you tuned in early to the Super Bowl for the flawless flyover to commemorate our Air Force’s 75th anniversary, you might have also caught the pregame montage featuring tennis great Billie Jean King. Her message was simple yet powerful: “It’s hard to understand inclusion until you have been excluded. Inclusify: The Power of Uniqueness and Belonging challenges us to think uncomfortably and with curiosity about the intersection of leadership, diversity, and inclusion in our Air Force. Simply being a diverse organization is not enough. We need inclusive leaders to foster a culture where all our Airmen feel welcome, heard, and understood
Diversity and inclusion are competitive advantages for our Air Force. An inclusive, competitive mindset enables us to better understand our investments, solve our problems, impose dilemmas on potential adversaries, and manage risk. Consider this mindset as you listen to Michael Morell’s Intelligence Matters podcast: China’s Ambitions in the World and What They Mean to U.S. as an expert panel dissects China’s ambitions and strategy.
Providing feedback and receiving feedback by shifting the way we measure, incentivize, and reward the Airmen for the future will be important. Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well deep-dives into the phenomenon of feedback from the point of the view of the recipient and offers practical steps to ask for the right kind of feedback, identify triggers that prevent absorbing feedback, and even suggests ways to reject feedback.
I encourage you to use this month’s additions to the Leadership Library to sharpen your leadership skills and those of your fellow Airmen.
Sincerely,
CHARLES Q. BROWN, JR.
General, U.S. Air Force
Chief of Staff
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs note: The CSAF Leadership Library is a fluid set of media selected by Gen. Brown that evolves as novel ideas are published, recorded and debated. New entries will be added periodically throughout the year.
Recommendations:
Dear Sir,
Which part of “inclusion” of furries, or trans, enhances bombs on target? At a certain point, someone needs to point out the emperor is wearing no clothes.
I understand this is mandated from up on high, but a spade needs to be called a spade.
They don’t. It is mandated by those that want to destablize American institutions, and they’ll distract you with fake wars adn pandemics to keep you from noticing.
Not a single title enhancing military lethality. Totally expected from this administration and military leadership these days.
Post the standard which provides the best, provable outcome for the MOS. Pick the best person who meets that standard. Period.
Not a watered down standard to meet your prejudicial goals. The one which has been demonstrated over time, and often by people giving up their lives, to work.
It’s always been this way for a reason. It works, and our Force bears that out.
The standards have always been dropping, and sadly people keep showing up who still fail them. A race to the bottom and it shows. Inclusivity isn’t half the problem pathetic standards are.
Does anyone really think there is a “race to the bottom”and that our forces are weaker, ill trained and some how less competent and stronger than, what, 5, 10, or 15 years ago? All of the decisions being made about the force are being made by people who have long careers that spans 20+ of GWOT. From my perspective of 20+ Years in the military and other government employment that this generation is tougher and smarter that we ever were. But there is a mythos about tough dudes in previous conflicts, and a ton of insecurity about change (holy crap my niece chose infantry as her MOS!). I have complete faith in our nation and the young people who chose to serve our great nation and protect us.
what flavor “kool-Aid” is that you drink? I’d rather avoid all PC/Woke BS.