Building Better Leaders

Giving Actionable Feedback & Getting to Know Your Employees (feat. CMSgt. Katie McCool)

Most leaders don’t look forward to having difficult conversations with their employees, but giving honest, actionable feedback leads to a culture where speaking up makes the whole team stronger. Here’s Chief Master Sgt. Katie McCool, Command Chief of Pacific Air Forces, on how to achieve that.

Confrontation, Climbing Ladders & Inspiring Innovation (feat. CMSSF John Bentivegna)

Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna—the highest-ranking enlisted Guardian—describes the habits that real leaders follow, and how they inspire those habits in their followers.

How to Develop Employees in 4 Steps

Here’s how to develop employees effectively with a 4-step method from Dr. Patrick Donley, host of the “Building Better Leaders” podcast and director of the Doolittle Leadership Center. This practical leadership training breaks down a simple 4-step framework—Discover, Teach, Model, and Coach—to help you grow your team’s skills, behavior, and performance.

Team Development, Accountability & Staying Cool (feat. 35th Fighter Wing Command Team)

Senior leaders from the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base in Japan explain how to develop leaders, own up to mistakes, and prioritize people while operating in non-stop high-stakes scenarios.

Leading Leaders & Responding to Feedback (feat. Col. David Wilson) | Building Better Leaders

Col. David Wilson knows he isn’t the smartest person in the room—and that makes him an excellent leader. He digs into his experience as a wing commander and senior leader to share his hard-earned lessons of leadership.
The Doolittle Leadership Center's podcast, Building Better Leaders, features candid conversations with a wide range of influential leaders about their stories— and how they have learned to lead. Dr. Patrick Donley, Director of the DLC, hosts episodes at a variety of exciting locations across the globe as he tours with the DLC's on-location leader development workshops.
Learn more at www.afa.org/DLC

What Example Are You Setting as a Leader? (feat. Craig Neri)

Leaders set the tone for an organization’s ethos and policies—not by dictating what to do, but by modeling the required behavior. Lifelong leadership coach and retired U.S. Air Force CMSgt. Craig Neri delves into how you can set the standard of behavior you want to see in your followers.

Stabilizing Leadership (feat. Lt. Gen. Derek France & CMSgt. Joshua Wiener)

AFCENT’s commander and enlisted command chief explain the importance of providing steady leadership to roughly 10,000 to 13,000 deployed personnel who constantly rotate in and out of their organization in the Middle East.

Lead Like a Marine (feat. Giles Kyser) | Building Better Leaders

There’s arguably no military service in the world with a group identity as deeply ingrained or cherished as the U.S. Marine Corps. How did the Semper Fidelis, “Oohra!” culture come about? More importantly, how can leaders of other organizations create an identity that encourages similar buy-in and team motivation? Giles Kyser explains.
The Doolittle Leadership Center's podcast, Building Better Leaders, features candid conversations with a wide range of influential leaders about their stories— and how they have learned to lead. Dr. Patrick Donley, Director of the DLC, hosts episodes at a variety of exciting locations across the globe as he tours with the DLC's on-location leader development workshops.
Learn more at www.afa.org/DLC

How to Know if You’re a Good Leader (10-Minute Drill for All Leaders) | Building Better Leaders

It’s hard for leaders to accurately assess whether they’re leading well simply based on results. Dr. Patrick Donley—a global leadership instructor and host of the “Building Better Leaders” podcast—shares a simple, 10-minute drill leaders can start using today to can boost intentionality and team-wide performance.
Learn more at www.afa.org/DLC

Every Day’s a School Day (feat. Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos) | Building Better Leaders

Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos joined “Building Better Leaders” a few weeks before retiring as the President of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. There she oversaw the entire spectrum of education programs within the U.S. Air Force, from professional military education, continuing education, and granting academic degrees to 170,000 students each year.
The Doolittle Leadership Center's podcast, Building Better Leaders, features candid conversations with a wide range of influential leaders about their stories— and how they have learned to lead. Dr. Patrick Donley, Director of the DLC, hosts episodes at a variety of exciting locations across the globe as he tours with the DLC's on-location leader development workshops.