• Leslie Lorenz on Leadership – Spouse Wingmen

    I recently met two young military wives. I was so happy to meet these bright, young, eager, new spouses as they and their husbands begin an exciting career in our wonderful Air Force. Randolph AFB is the first assignment for one of the couples. They are originally from the northeast and come from

  • Time - the most valuable thing one can spend

    Theophrastus, a student of Plato and later Aristotle, said, "Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend." I like this quote for two reasons.First, quoting a Greek philosopher will give this commentary an air of intellectual legitimacy. Second, I think he's right on the money.Speaking of money

  • Lorenz on Leadership -- Professional advocacy

    As a service member, I have fought for programs and resources throughout my career. In many cases these battles were a matter of advocacy -- my opportunity to fight for things I believed in. I began facing these challenging moments within days of my entry into military service. As a result, I have

  • 'End of year madness' is almost upon us -- again

    The madness called, "End of Year," which affects everybody involved with money, is almost upon us. Get ready to spend that fallout money.Throughout the year Finance and your resource advisor say we don't have any money but suddenly we start telling you to spend, spend, spend. How can we not have

  • Compliance, innovation, documentation – we must do it all

    One of the unique characteristics of military life is that so many of the rules are provided for us. The big picture is laid out in our core values and we get specifics from Air Force Instructions, major command guidance and local policy. We've got standards addressing our conduct on the job and

  • Lorenz on Leadership – The intellectual resource

    Today, we are approaching nine years of sustained combat operations. Many could even argue that our Air Force has been involved in continuous combat operations since the original Gulf War in 1991. Even more challenging, today's combat operations are being conducted while the rest of the nation

  • Your internal voices carry important messages

    Yes, I must admit that I've been hearing voices in my head for quite a while now. They start in the morning and persist throughout the day, constantly telling me what I should or shouldn't do. Sometimes I listen and sometimes I don't -- but regardless, I just can't seem to make the voices stop. For

  • Bystander training pays off for Colorado Airman

    It was around 2:20 a.m., May 8, and my friend and I had just exited a club in Denver and began walking three blocks down the street looking for a taxi.We came across a young woman who had her back to us, but I noticed that she was surrounded by four men and was up against a brick building. Keep in

  • Figure out a way to say 'yes'

    When it comes to doing your job and supporting the customer, find a way to say yes.I was recently on leave due to a death in the family, so I left no-notice. I had an enlisted performance report I needed to sign and unfortunately I did not remember to bring a common-access-card laptop with me.My

  • Looking back over the past four years

    June marks four years for my family and me here at Vance AFB. It also marks the month of my reassignment to the Pentagon. Having served as the director of operations for the 25th Flying Training Squadron, the DO for the 8th Flying Training Squadron and then the commander of the 8th FTS, I consider