Commentaries

Diamond Tips: Motorcycle Safety
March 27, 2012 — Spring is here and so is the warm weather which means it's time to uncover that motorcycle, dust it off and hit the road. With that in mind, and after seeing one of our young active-duty members riding his motorcycle on base without the proper personal protective equipment, it dawned on me what my Diamond Tip should cover this week.Before riding,... MORE

Diamond Tips: What would you do?
March 21, 2012 — "What Would You Do?" is a popular television show that airs on Friday evenings. The premise of the show is to deliberately set up situations to solicit by-stander intervention. The topics are based on moral and ethical dilemmas and how people react to those situations. My question to you is; what would you do if you were confronted by a violation... MORE

Hasta luego my friends!
March 20, 2012 — Team Charleston, I can't believe how quickly this time has gone. On Dec 3, 2010, I wrote my first message telling you how amazing you are. I toured work centers, talked with many of you ... you also proudly showed me what you've been doing. I fell in love! The days, months and year continued and I never stopped being amazed about your passion for... MORE

Change
March 20, 2012 — "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1532)Change is something everyone has to contend with as it is an inevitability of life. People deal with change differently, some are... MORE

Time to take stock - what lessons have you learned?
March 13, 2012 — After more than 10 years of continuous combat involving the United States military, operations in Iraq recently came to a close, while the end of operations in Afghanistan continue - with an anticipated end date projected, but yet to be finalized. It is important for all Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to begin to reflect on and assess their... MORE

Diamond Tips: physical fitness is more than PT
March 13, 2012 — In Air Force Instruction 36-2618, Enlisted Force Structure, physical fitness and conditioning is listed under general responsibilities throughout the Air Force's three-tier enlisted rank structure. It is no secret that physical fitness is important but is there more to physical fitness than just having squadron physical training three to five days... MORE

How do you choose mentors?
March 7, 2012 — "A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of you to show you how they did it. A mentor walks alongside you to show you what you can do" - Simon SinekSo, how exactly does one choose a mentor? What even makes someone a mentor? Is it by rank? Experience? Does being a boss automatically make youa mentor? Google provided nearly 29 million hits when I... MORE

Diamond Tips: Being successful vs. unsuccessful … it’s a choice
March 6, 2012 — Success is desired by most people but not always achieved. Is it just that some people are destined to be successful and others are destined to be unsuccessful? I think not! Success is a life-long marathon and before you can reach the finish line, you have to know where to start. Achieving success starts with how you define success. Every person... MORE

Learning to Fly – One More Leadership Lesson
March 2, 2012 — Last year, my wife gave me a gift certificate for my XXth birthday Today I went to our JB Charleston Aero Club and cashed the certificate.About time right? I always wanted to take flying lessons, but my work schedule was tough. Well, it's never too late to have some fun!What a fantastic time! Of course, I had some reservations at first, but this... MORE

Looking for success? Don’t focus on it…
March 2, 2012 — If you are looking for success, here's my advice: forget about it...don't focus on it. The law of life says, the more you focus on it, the more you'll miss it. Several years ago a wise chief said these words to me; I could not fully understand them.My first inclination was to think that these words meant I had to achieve balance. So there I was in... MORE