Building Better Leaders
Building Better Leaders is the Doolittle Leadership Center's podcast. It features candid conversations with influential leaders about their personal stories and how they learned to lead. Dr. Patrick Donley, director of the DLC, hosts the show. Episodes are recorded at various locations around the world as he travels with the center's on-location leader development workshops.
Episodes
Developing Your Team with Gen. Shawn Bratton | Building Better Leaders
Leaders are responsible for developing their followers and holding them to high standards. Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Shawn Bratton breaks down how.
As the U.S. Space Force’s second-in-command, Gen. Shawn N. Bratton organizes, trains, and equips America’s Guardians. The U.S. Space Force maintains mission-ready space forces that provide the core functions of Space Control, Global Mission O
Sam Eckholm on Trust, Teamwork, and Telling Stories | 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
Wingman Leadership with Dr. Eric “Rabbit” Jorgensen | Building Better Leaders
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” Jorgen
Aligning Your Team for Success | Special Episode | Building Better Leaders
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.
Book a leadership course with the Doolittle Leadership Center 👉 https://www.afa.org/dlc
#leadership #alignment #lead #leader
Building Better Leaders: Closing Leadership Gaps with John “JV” Venable
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
Who is Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess? The Man Nominated for Next Chief of Space Operations | Special Episode
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 Reserv
Building Better Leaders: General Lester Lyles on Being Your Authentic Self
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 Unit
Building Better Leaders: Intentional Leadership (Feat. CMSgt. Vincent Fasano)
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
Trust as the Foundation of Leadership (Feat. Gen. Thomas Bussiere)
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 g
Building Better Leaders: Developing the Next Generation of Leaders (feat. Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell)
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 l
The Secret to Setting Goals for Your Employees
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.
Spacepower, Legacy & Leading with Purpose (feat. Dr. David Arnold)
Spacepower isn’t just about technology—it’s about the people, legacy, and mindset driving it forward. We talk to Dr. David Arnold, a renowned expert on space, General Bernard Schriever’s enduring impact, and the leadership principles that shape today’s Air and Space Forces. From historical perspective to modern-day relevance, Dr. Arnold shares insights on innovation, optimism, and what it means to
Mentorship, Influencing Up & Leading Behind the Scenes (feat. Debbie Schiess)
Military spouses are the prime example of how a behind-the-scenes support role can drive change, build trust, and inspire leaders wherever they are. We talk to Debbie Schiess, a nonprofit leader, parent, and spouse of Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, on the role military spouses play every day in empowering Space Force and Air Force leadership.
Carnivore Leadership & Hardcore Self-Discipline (feat. CMSAF Wolfe & SEAC #4 Colón-López)
Elite leadership is earned through self-discipline. Take charge of yourself and you’ll inspire your followers to do the same—learn how in this power-packed episode with CMSAF David Wolfe and SEAC #4 Ramón “CZ” Colón-López.
Colón-López's 2026 book, “Carnivore Leadership: Taking Charge Instead of Taking Shit,” is available for purchase now.
#leadershiptips #leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptrain
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 lea
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 Lea
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 pod
Semper Gumby (feat. Gen. Kevin Schneider) | Building Better Leaders
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 flexi
T-Minus Two for T2 (feat. CMSgt. Tina Timmerman) | Building Better Leaders
Perhaps no modern organization understands the symbiotic relationship between leadership and culture better than the U.S. Space Force, which was founded in 2019 and saw thousands of military personnel (mostly Airmen and Pentagon civilians) transition into its ranks. So just how did the Space Force establish a culture unique from its sister service—and what can leaders learn from this ongoing cultu
Get Back Up (feat. SECAF 24 Wilson and CSAF 21 Goldfein) | Building Better Leaders
Fresh off the release of their new book “Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership,” the 24th Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Heather Wilson and the 21st U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, USAF (Ret.) join “Building Better Leaders” for an incredible breakdown of cooperative leadership. They tell stories—from death-defying combat operations over Serbia, to navigating the culture and
America's First Guardian (feat. Gen. John "Jay" Raymond) | Building Better Leaders
When the U.S. Space Force was founded in 2019, Gen. John “Jay” Raymond was tapped to serve as its inaugural leader and America’s first-ever Guardian. Now three years retired from the historic role, Raymond joined “Building Better Leaders” to share behind-the-scenes stories about building the identity and culture of America’s first new military branch since the WWII era, and how the monumental proj
The Happiness Guru (feat. Jackson Kerchis) | Building Better Leaders
What’s happiness? A high salary? Raw power? Rainbows and unicorns? Or something far deeper? It might sound trite, but happiness is more definable and objective than some would have you think—and knowing what happiness looks like professionally might just be the key to leading others well. Jackson Kerchis is the co-founder of Happiness Means Business, which helps business and military leaders ident
Two Heads Are Better Than One (feat. Tinker AFB Leadership) | Building Better Leaders
Nearly 30,000 people come to work through the gates of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma every day. For the last two years, the safety, security, and wellbeing of those thousands of personnel have been in the hands of two leaders: Col. Abby Ruscetta, the commander of the 72nd Air Base Wing, and Chief Master Sgt. Chris Gradel, the wing’s command chief and Ruscetta’s right-hand man. Ruscetta (who re
Tapping Out (feat. CMSgt. Gerardo Tapia) | Building Better Leaders
21-year-old Tap was one vote away from being kicked out of the U.S. Air Force for a litany of violations, a long record of bad behavior, and even an apprehension—when one leader spontaneously put his own reputation on the line to give this “bad Airman” yet another chance to prove his worth. That leader’s risky act of faith transformed Tap’s life of delinquency into a decorated 31-year career of mi
Four Dimensional Schiess (feat. Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess) | Building Better Leaders
How is a leader supposed to balance mentorship with authority? And how should they balance professional duties with family responsibilities without sacrificing one or the other? Space Force Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess—who leads thousands of joint-service personnel—has learned a lot about these seemingly contradictory dimensions of leadership in his 33-year career in the military. He joined “Building Bet
100% Cotton (feat. Gen. Anthony Cotton) | Building Better Leaders
Air Force Gen. Anthony J. Cotton is the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, one of only 11 combatant commands in the Department of Defense. That makes him one of the highest-ranking individuals not just in the Air Force, but across every branch of our entire nation’s military: he leads 41,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and civilians in global nuclear operations and strategic d
Building Better Leaders: On the Road
Listen to select moments from upcoming conversations with fighter pilots, guardians, CEOs, and wide range of influential leaders. You’ll hear quick hits on decision-making, trust, and building resilient teams, from the flight line to the boardroom.
The Doolittle Leadership Center's podcast, Building Better Leaders, features candid conversations with a wide range of influential leaders about their
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