MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. -- Airman Leadership School is a whirlwind experience for Senior Airmen and the first opportunity in professional military education.
Students have a total of 24 training days that are spread out over the course of five weeks. Each day brings a unique set of stressors and challenges, and before you know it, graduation has come and gone.
Maybe you have heard the phrase, "re‐blued?" The curriculum is based on the Air Force's Institutional Competencies in AFI 36‐2618, or more commonly referred to as the Little Brown Book.
Their toolboxes are now full of all sorts of leadership principals, just waiting for an opportunity to be used. They may think, "What is the right time? Are people judging me because they know I returned from PME?"
I can say from my personal experience that, "yes, they are judging you." Leadership takes courage, both physically and mentally.
As Airmen return to their home stations, they are more than likely to encounter those who want them to share their experiences as well as those who are opposed to them. Do not let the later discourage them from making an impact. Do not allow their opportunities to pass them by.
(Master Sgt. William Bryant is the superintendent of Airman Leadership School at the Chief Master Sgt. Paul H. Lankford Enlisted Professional Military Education Center. Originally published in the Lankford Newsletter, May 2018.)