KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Enlisted and commissioned leaders from the 8th Fighter Wing participated in a Lead, Develop, Care: Practical Leadership for Competitive Advantage educational course presented by Dr. Patrick Donley, Air and Space Forces Association Doolittle Leadership Center director, October 3-6, 2023.
The Lead, Develop, Care course contains three key components for helping individuals develop stronger leadership skills. The course provides a framework for leaders to develop intentional proactiveness and offers a practical algorithm to help leaders realize when to take action.
Standard theory and principles of leadership were not among the main lessons of the class. Instead, Donley focused on inspiring and developing leaders to proactively use tools available at their level versus more reactionary responses.
“What we are trying to accomplish here is to provide leaders with a framework for leadership that gives context to the tools that the Air Force has already provided them,” said Donley. “This gives leaders a way to make decisions and solve problems in a way that is more rational and productive for their work centers.”
The course was tailored for and offered to three groups, squadron, group and wing senior leaders, company grade officers, and the non-commissioned officer and senior non-commissioned officer corps.
“Good leadership applies whether you are a two star general or whether you are a parent trying to lead their children,” said Donley. “Our goal is to teach the class in a way that most benefits the majority demographic of the room.”
Master Sgt. Eric Thueme, 8th Maintenance Squadron non-commissioned officer in charge of precision-guided munitions, noted his favorite part of the course is how it focused on applicable steps to follow when seeking solutions.
“A lot of leadership courses give you some of the principles for leadership but don't tie them into the military aspect,” said Thueme. “This course gives you steps to take to get to your desired outcome.” If you’d like to learn more about this course or other education opportunities visit the Doolittle Leadership Center’s website.