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  • Leadership, people skills 101

    Healthy relationships are critical to our success. Make no mistake about it, “what we do” is all about relationships, not programs. Programs without relating to people are simply books and binders on someone’s shelf collecting dust. Programs should never be developed to eliminate or neutralize the

  • Virus protection starts with the user

    On March 26, 1999, an unsuspecting user downloaded a document from an adult-themed newsgroup and launched one of the most well-known viruses to ever plague the global information infrastructure. The document seemed innocuous in that it provided a fake list of pornographic Web sites and passwords for

  • How to make the 'perfect mistake.' A leader's guide to screwing-up

    Sometimes we concentrate too much on the wrong thing - when everything goes right. Unfortunately, in the real world, mistakes are made and problems occur every day. Mistakes and problems are so prevalent perhaps the best thing is not to avoid them but to perfect them. My recipe to make the perfect

  • Complacency - often an ignored threat

    As we enter the three-year point since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom and will soon be seeing the fifth year since 9/11, a big and growing danger is complacency. Naturally, people get into routines which can desensitize them to force protection measures and operational safety risks. They

  • Chief lists ingredients for 'supervisor soufflé'

    As I was watching one of my wife's favorite cooking shows on television the other day, I heard the host rattle off a list of ingredients for the perfect culinary delight. My mind began thinking about a past discussion I had with students attending the NCO Academy. One student had asked me the secret

  • Architect of future leaders: An NCO's blueprint to build 'dream' Airmen

    For seven years, I was in the professional military education career field and was fortunate to have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the management and leadership skills of several thousand members of our great Air Force. I truly enjoyed then, as I do now, seeing Airmen's eyes light

  • Team Dover prevails through horrific event

    Team Dover prevailed through a horrific event Monday, when one of our aircraft crash-landed short of the runway. Shortly after 6:42 a.m., our base was catapulted into the world's media attention. As all three of us rushed to the Crisis Action Team meeting location to coordinate the response of