Building Better Leaders

What does it take to go from creating entertaining content as a solo creator to leading a capable team of creatives? Sam Eckholm joins us on Building Better Leaders to discuss his journey from an Air Force public affairs officer to the host of his successful YouTube show, Access Granted. He shares his insights on effective delegation, trusting your team, building a shared mission, and cultivating the relationships that make his behind-the-scenes storytelling possible.
Sam’s career began at the U.S. Air Force Academy. After graduating in 2018, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and became the Public Affairs Officer for the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team at Langley Air Force Base. There, he managed all media, outreach, and content production. In 2021, Sam founded SE Media to produce his videos, which he continues to do today with over 2.5 million followers and 500 million cross-platform views.
 
Sam Eckholm joins us on Building Better Leaders to discuss his journey from an Air Force public affairs officer to the host of his successful YouTube channel, Sam Eckholm
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#leadership #sameckholm #military
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/SamEckholmWebsite: https://www.sameckholm.comEmail: contact@sameckholm.com

Professional Leadership Coach and former USAF fighter pilot, Dr. Eric "Rabbit" Jorgensen, discusses the critical importance of being a wingman leader who intentionally lifts others up and enables their success. Wingman leaders measure their effectiveness by their positive impact on the individuals who make up the team far more than their own career promotion or duty title.
Dr. Eric “Rabbit” Jorgensen is the author of “Wingman Life: Living & Leading Like a Fighter Pilot”, a book about how to be a wingman in every domain of life and leadership. He is an experienced fighter pilot with over 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and 5,000+ hours flying the F-15E Strike Eagle and other jet aircraft. Both in the Air Force and after retiring, Rabbit has cultivated decades of intentional leadership through speaking and coaching, all while continuing to develop his philosophy of the wingman life.
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#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #wingman #airforce #usaf #leadership
Books: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/eric_jorgensenWebsite: www.wingmanexecutivecoaching.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-jorgensenEmail: rabbit@wingmanexecutivecoaching.com

Synchronizing your team is critical for maximum effectiveness. Dr. Patrick Donley, host of Building Better Leaders, discusses why it is so important to align your team and how to implement that alignment.
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#leadership #alignment #lead #leader

Former Thunderbirds commander JV Venable discusses the critical importance of onboarding in leadership, how to build trust, breaking down trust barriers, building connection and commitment, and more.
John “JV” Venable is the author of a book on building and leading high-performance teams, titled “Breaking the Trust Barrier.” He is also a recognized expert on air and space capacity, capability and readiness, and a host of other defense policy issues. During his 25-year career in the Air Force, he accumulated more than 4,500 hours in the F-16 and OV-10 aircraft, graduated from the US Air Force Fighter Weapons School, and held commands at both the squadron and group levels, including as Commander and Demonstration Leader of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, commonly known as the Thunderbirds.
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#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #thunderbirds #airforce #usaf #leader #trust #trusting

Lt. General Doug Schiess was recently nominated for the role of Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force, the service's highest ranking Guardian. He discusses leadership in crisis, setting a precedent, intentional development, the role of spouses and families in the mission, and much more.
 
Lt. General Doug Schiess entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1992 and transferred to the United States Space Force in 2022. As of the posting date of this episode, he currently serves as Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations.
 
This episode includes never-before-seen video footage from the original interview featured in Building Better Leaders Ep. 2.
 
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#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #crisis #usspaceforce #ussf #leader #spaceforce

Your reputation as a leader has a dramatic impact on your career, for good or ill. While there are always areas you can improve, you shouldn’t try to be something you’re not. Gen. (Ret.) Lester Lyles, discusses his perspective on leadership through a remarkable career.
 
General Lester Lyles is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force. He served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In his post-military career, he has served in senior leadership positions for several corporations, including General Dynamics, USAA, and KBR Inc., among others.
 
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#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #leadershipqualities #usaf #leader #airforce

Intentional leadership requires knowing your people well. Chief Master Sgt. Vincent Fasano discusses the opportunities and challenges of leading people you don’t see every day.
 
CMSgt Vincent Fasano is the command chief of the 109th Airlift Wing, Stratton Air National Guard Base, New York. He serves as the wing's senior enlisted leader and is the principal advisor to the wing commander on matters impacting the well-being, professional development, and utilization of 1,100 personnel.
 
Command Chief's Compass #15
https://www.afa.org/dlc/podcast/attachments/ep23/command-chiefs-compass-15
 
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#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #airnationalguard #usaf #leader #airforce #ang

Building trust with employees is a vital leadership quality. Gen. Bussiere explains what “leading from the front” means and how trust is built from the top down.Gen. Thomas Bussiere is the former commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. In addition, as a command pilot, Gen. Bussiere accrued over 3,400 hours of flight time and has decades of leadership experience both in the air and on the ground.Book a leadership course with the Doolittle Leadership Center 👉 https://www.afa.org/dlc#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #leadershipqualities #usaf #leader #airforce

How to develop your employees, learn from the leadership principles we’ve inherited, and show your team you genuinely care.
 
Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell is a retired F-16 pilot, wing commander, and senior leader developer who’s trained thousands of young leaders in the Air Force. Today he’s a Senior Resident Fellow for Airpower Studies at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
 
Book a leadership course with the Doolittle Leadership Center: https://www.afa.org/doolittle-leadership-center/
 
#leadershipdevelopment #management #leadershiptips #leadershipskills #leadershiplessons #leadershiptraining #leadership #leadershipcoaching

Setting goals for your employees means more than setting a target: Your job as a leader is to clarify your vision, establish key performance indicators, give them the resources, identify obstacles, and help them stay on track in the midst of changing circumstances.