Jordon Kowalski’s Post

Reading of American foreign policy, I come across the phrase, “As the United States gathered more experience…” A nation learns and grows as a cohesive entity. I find this to be a relevant concept for organizations too. Is the organization I’m currently in more experienced than it was 25 years ago? Can I contribute to making it more mature for those who will be running it 25 years from now? I come away from this brief sidebar of my learning of the emergence of the U.S. as a great power with two take-aways: 1. Documented history is an imperative for organizational development. 2. Leaders at all levels also have a role. It is essential that we don’t let our knowledge and best practices remain with us. They must be shared. When I leave my organization, I aim to leave it more #experienced than I found it. United States Air Force

The Airlift/Tanker Association 2023 Conference was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones, celebrate the achievements of teammates, and engage in #professionaldevelopment. From a fantastic lineup of military leaders, industry experts, and PhDs, I left the conference reminded of the following: -Now is the time to master #missioncommand because you can’t surge trust. -It’s not our job to predict when. It’s our job to be ready. -Our people will continue to move mountains for us as long as they know that their families and friends are being taken care of. -We must prepare and train under pressure and amid chaos. -#knowledge is (potential) power. -Emotions are data. Make decisions with more data. #emotionalintelligence is not getting rid of emotions. -Leaders need a soft front and a hard back. -TTPs are the beginning, not the solution. Work the problem. -Embrace the uncertainty because that’s where we’re going to thrive. As CMSAF Bass said, “Here we are, not short of challenges.” I’m encouraged that our Air Force family is united in its mission, will care for the individual, and will be prepared to meet the challenges of all the tomorrows. Airlift Tanker Association United States Air Force

A very happy 1st birthday to the Early Bird Brief podcast! 🎂 I love getting my daily dose of #defense news in just 10 minutes each morning. https://lnkd.in/e97nj-zW

It’s a priveledge to belong to an organization that is committed to investing in its people…not just its high-ranking top performers, rather all of them.

2nd Annual DEEP NCO Academies Conference “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” - Henry Ford It’s inspiring to work with our friends and partners as we share practices, identify challenges and opportunities, and advance together. NATO #DEEP #partnershipforpeace The Inter-European Air Forces Academy Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy (AFSNCOA) #NCOLCOE #professionaldevelopment #partners

I get a lot of comments on my note-taking, so I’ll share my thoughts. I think one’s note-taking is situation- and individual personality-dependent. I take a lot of notes for a variety of reasons: 1. A very sharp SgtMaj pointed me to a study that shows that most people forget 40% of what they hear in 20 minutes. 2. The practice of taking notes makes one better at identifying key information. This is forever useful. 3. Maybe I’m tactile, but taking notes helps me pay attention. 4. Note-taking is key to self-reflection. What do my notebooks look like? 1. A dash (-) symbolizes something I found worth writing down. 2. A box (▪️) indicates a task that needs my attention. 3. A star (⭐️) reminds me to follow up for personal action (usually a book or document to read). What do I do with all these pages? 1. Review them periodically (working to make this “regularly”). 2. Highlight the most important/impactful ideas and find ways to talk about them with others/apply them. 3. Prioritize and check the boxes. 4. Print, rent, purchase the stars and then read them! How do you organize all the information in your day to day and what do you do with it? #professionaldevelopment #professionalgrowth #notetaking #personaldevelopment

Trying to narrow down key take-aways from eight months of high-level learning at the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy is a challenge. Here are just a few points that I found particularly relevant to leading effectively in this dynamic place and time. Self-Awareness - What does it mean for me? § Be careful to protect the goodness inside you. § Find time for reflection. What does what happened this week mean for me, my boss, and my team? § What builds trust? 1) ability required in the moment, 2) benevolence (goodwill, how you talk about people), and 3) integrity (walk the walk and keep promises). § Be the guy who actually does what you say you’re going to do. Follow through on everything. § Be a coach, not a cheerleader. § Reevaluate when position, influence, status, rewards, perks, recognition, latitude, associations, and access result in an unbalanced personal life, inflated ego, isolation, stress, emptiness, and fear of failure. § It’s not uncommon on a weekly or daily basis to think, “I don’t know what to do” in certain situations. § Every one of your troops wants to be you. § Put what you learn into context right now. Strategic Thinker - What does it mean for my boss? § Every ecosystem is going to do whatever it has to do to survive. § In strategic competition, everything we know today will have changed changed 6-8 months from now. § The SEL exercises influence over the volatility, manages the uncertainty, simplifies the complex, and resolves the ambiguity. § The better we are at our jobs, the faster we win. Everyone should focus on sharpening his niche capability. § Stay calm, and keep your boss calmer. § When you describe your team, you build your enemy’s team. § Most people incorrectly view decisions as permanent. § Think, “If this goes bad, what does it do to AMC, the Air Force, national policy…?” Effective Leader - What does it mean for my team? § Think strategic, but act local. Be a strategic translator. § Psychological safety is #1 to building and maintaining high-performing teams. Meet people where they are, not where you are. § Be the keeper of history and tradition. § You’re always going to be an individual leader, but you can at max pour yourself into 7-12 people. Leadership is a collective activity. § You can’t change the culture. You change the things you do, and that becomes the culture. § “What do you think?” – the four most powerful and underused words of leadership. § Consistent enforcement of the standards enhances the relationship. § “This thing of ours” – build shared identity. § The SELs place is in the friction points. § Walk in through the front door and say good morning. § “When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!’” – Lao Tzu

Huge shoutout to SSgt Morgan Turner! After assisting me with running the Joint #pme course, #gateway last year, she was inspired to build her own professional development seminar, JEPES (Junior Enlisted Professional Enhancement Seminar). Incredible. The future of our #airforce right here. She asked me to come and talk with her E-1 - E-4 #airmen about the #purplebook and, MAN, was that fun! Today’s Airmen are incredibly intelligent and educated, and they want to learn. P.S. I’d love to swing by anywhere in the #ncr anytime to talk with our Airmen about the Purple Book. Hit me up! The Joint Staff United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command Joint Base Andrews