Building Better Leaders

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.

Episodes

Mar 6, 2026

31 min

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.

Feb 20, 2026

6 min

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.

Feb 6, 2026

48 min

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.

Jan 23, 2026

1hr 5 min

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

Jan 9, 2026

58 min

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.

Dec 22, 2025

57 min

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.

Dec 12, 2025

1hr 10 min

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

Nov 28, 2025

5 min

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

Nov 14, 2025

49 min

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.

Oct 31, 2025

53 min

Gen. Kevin "Gumby" Schneider leads U.S. Air Force activities in the Pacific, a responsibility that encompasses more than half the globe. In this episode of "Building Better Leaders," Schneider shares leadership lessons on how to effectively manage an organization of such enormous scale, especially one that's centerstage in geopolitical tension. He offers insights on building culture, staying flexible while managing risk, and fostering upward and downward trust across an organization of more than 46,000 personnel.
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.

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