In this Issue of the JCLD, you will notice two distinct parts. In the first part, there are several articles focusing on the USAFA Leader of Character (LoC) Framework. These articles are designed to explain what each of the three areas of the framework means: Living Honorably, Lifting Others, and Elevating Performance. Each article is a deep dive for those who want to understand how to develop specific habits and behaviors of a leader of character. While focused for those at USAFA, all leaders can learn from these articles regardless of your domain. In the second part, we continue our annual connection to the National Character & Leadership Symposium (NCLS)2 held every February at the United States Air Force Academy. NCLS is a multi-day, intentionally focused symposium on character and leadership. It brings together a wide range of local, national, and international leaders around a particular theme. The theme lines up with one of USAFA’s organizational outcomes. This year’s theme was ethics and respect for human dignity.
This issue focuses on conversations with leaders in different domains. Notice that the word ‘conversations’ is used. We use that term intentionally because it is not just an interview where questions are posed to the individual and they respond. Instead, there is value in the conversation, the back and forth, the asking of questions both ways, the dialogue, and the playing off one another regarding leadership and character. Specifically, we examine leaders across different domains so that some of that contextual flavor of leadership is gained. While there are certainly some leadership characteristics that are effective regardless of domain, the context is a critical leadership factor that is important to capture. In t hisissue, we have leaders from the military, business, academics, and sports.
We need to attend to both preparing for now and preparing for the future. The key is that we understand that balance between now and later. The encouraging part is that it is not an either/or, but an and/both situation. We do not have to choose, as they are linked. Understanding the value of both of these targets allows us to leverage synergy in our efforts to amplify skill development in order to attain long-term leader development. This issue of the Journal of Character & Leadership Development (JCLD) is aimed directly at the two aforementioned targets. We have brought together a collection of articles that impact and inform both of these targets. Our goal with this issue is to shed light on different aspects to consider when looking at preparing leaders to be effective into the future.
The Winter 2021 Issue is our largest JCLD issue to date, with over 200 pages of indepth academic research and thought leadership on the topic of Warrior Ethos.
Some highlights from this issue include a shoret conversation with Iraq War veteran, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth; a study analyzing the efficacy of coaching and how it fits into the West Point Leader Growth Model and presented by Colonel Todd Woodruff (USA), Dr. Russ Lemler of the U.S. Military Academy, and Dr. Ryan Brown of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University; and a unique article from USAFA Cadet Second Class
William DiRubbio, discussing the importance of training, how the warrior ethos fits in training, and suggests a way forward. His insights give a different perspective as one who is subject to, as well as shaping, the training environment at USAFA.
In this issue, you will find conversations with leaders across many different domains (military, academic, business, sports, etc.). By examining leaders from different domains, it allows readers to see what opportunities and experiences shaped each leader.
Some of the conversations featured in this issue include:
~ Richard Clark, Superintendent, Lt Gen, USAF
~ Charles Brown, Air Force Chief of Staff, General, USAF
David Goldfein, Former Air Force Chief of Staff, General (Ret), USAF
Kaleth Wright, Former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, CMSgt (Ret), USAF
~ JoAnne Bass, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, CMSgt, USAF
~ James Cameron, Vice President of Global Leadership & Learning, Walmart
As previously mentioned this issue of the JCLD is organized around the four strategic goals of USAFA. Several articles have been included that address each of the goals. The articles are not intended to be a complete coverage of each the goals, as that would be difficult given their broad scope.
The first section addresses the goal of Developing Leaders of Character Committed to Service to our Nation.
The second section, Preparing for Future Conflict, addresses the goal of preparing leaders for conflict in the future. While there are trends that may indicate what future conflict may look like, it is really about cognitively and behaviorally preparing future leaders to be more comfortable in an uncertain and complex space.
The third strategic goal that is addressed in this issue is that of Fostering a Culture that Embraces Innovation, Fueled by Airmen. If we understand that the future environment will be continually changing, iterating, and advancing, we need Airmen who are able to innovate to be able to meet the future demand signals.
The fourth goal is focused on how we need to work in the future. Specifically, that we are able to Execute Operations in an Integrated, Accountable, and Agile Manner. With future problems requiring complex adaptive solutions, we need to work together in order to bring the full totality of our forces to bear at a time and place of our choosing.
This issue of the JCLD continues our annual linkage with the National Character & Leadership Symposium (NCLS) that is held every February at the United States Air Force Academy. NCLS is a multiday, intentional focus on character and leadership. The NCLS brings together a wide range of local, national, and international leaders around a particular theme. The theme lines up with one of USAFA’s organizational outcomes. This year’s theme is Valuing Human Conditions, Cultures, and Societies. In order to support that endeavor, we have intentionally aligned the JCLD with NCLS so that the Journal can serve as a read ahead on the theme of NCLS to give attendees a chance to starting thinking about and processing the theme. We find this to be an intentional and important step in leader development.
For leaders, the power of conversations goes well beyond the basic communication of ideas, intent, or expected behavior. It is much deeper than that. It is about things such as making a connection, showing value, allowing transparency, and giving time. What we know about effective leaders is that they take the time to have, and put a priority on conversations. This issue of the Journal of Character and Leadership Development (JCLD) is dedcated to those powerful conversations and the lessons one can glean from them.
Assessment. It is a word that evokes different responses from those that hear it. To some, it is a hallmark of accountability where we can validate what we are doing (i.e., programs, processes, etc.). To others, it is a nice thing to have, but not seen as a core function. Still others see it as a bridge too far, and either too difficult to undertake or they just don’t have the time and resources to adequately do it. As a result, the leadership and character development landscape is littered with good ideas, underperforming (or failed) programs, missed opportunities, disconnected success, confusion, etc. This creates a minefield for those attempting to understand assessment and a desire to determine the efficacy of what they are doing. In order to provide guidance on the topic of assessment in the areas of character and leadership development, this issue is focused squarely on examining that topic by looking at what assessment looks like, what should be considered, why it is important and other critical questions. The goal with this issue is to highlight several examples of assessment that are being done so that character and leader developers can see where their programs and processes could be further enhanced with intentional assessment.
Every year, since 1993, the United States Air Force Academy has hosted the National Character & Leadership Symposium (NCLS). This world-class, multi-day event brings together thought leaders, experts, students, military members, and many others to intentionally focus on character and leadership development. This is accomplished through panels, speeches and guided group discussions.
The theme for this year’s NCLS is Leadership, Teamwork, & Organizational Management (LTOM) which also happens to be one of the Academy’s Institutional Outcomes. Due to the impact and scope of NCLS, as well as the previous discussion on intentional development, we thought it would impactful to align this issue of the JCLD with NCLS. As a result, we have collected a series of articles from thought leaders on various aspects of the LTOM outcome.
About the Journal
The Journal of Character & Leadership Development (JCLD) is the leading publication dedicated to the research, measurement, understanding and application of character and leadership development. The aim of the JCLD is to stimulate and advance the scholarship of character and leadership development through submissions from all disciplinary perspectives and organizations that contribute to the knowledge of how character and leadership are effectively developed.
