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New AETC commander offers views on leadership, future of command

  • Published
  • By Capt. John Severns
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The day before he pinned on his fourth star and took command of the Air Force's First Command, Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz sat down to talk leadership, AETC's role in the Global War on Terror, and what the command's Airmen can expect from their new boss.

The general, who replaced Gen. William R. Looney III as commander of Air Education and Training Command July 2, made it clear that effective leadership tops the list of skills he expects from all his subordinates, regardless of their rank or position. 

"All great endeavors are done by teams," General Lorenz said. "And these teams have to have leaders. Everyone, from a slick-sleeve Airman to a four star general, is going to lead something, even if it's only by the example they set." 

Leadership has been a consistent theme for General Lorenz, who as a refueling squadron commander at Castle Air Force Base, Calif., sat down one evening in 1987 to write what would become known as "Lorenz on Leadership," a list of 13 principles that have guided him for 35 years as a leader and commander. 

In "Lorenz on Leadership," the general singled out one of the 20th century's greatest figures to highlight the traits that define an effective leader. 

"Winston Churchill wasn't the first person to say, 'Never, ever, ever give up,'" the general said, "But he's the one who gets credit for it, because during his life he never gave up, and he overcame incredible challenges and adversities. Winston Churchill's tenacity and perseverance gave him character, and they are why he epitomizes greatness in leadership." 

Not everyone can be Winston Churchill, but the general emphasized that everyone in his command has a stake in the success of the entire organization.

"Most people, when they're trying to balance shortfalls or solve problems, look at things through a soda straw. They aren't seeing the big picture," he said. "It's tough to solve problems when you're looking through a soda straw, so what I recommend to people is to look at your boss's problems and at your boss's boss's problems, so that when you have to make a tough decision, you can make one that's in the best interests of your people and the mission of your unit." 

When it comes to the future of the command, General Lorenz said that changes would be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. 

"I have found that in all great endeavors, the measure of success is whether or not it stays on after the leader leaves," he said. "If you move things in an evolutionary fashion, rather than a revolutionary fashion, the changes have a tendency to stay and they are much better decisions. General Looney left this command in great shape, and we intend to build on the things he's done and keep moving the ball further down the field."

The general noted that many of the initiatives he intends to pursue are already underway. 

"I think we have some great opportunities in the future to use distance learning," he said. "We already use distance learning and we know it can be used for cognitive education. The one challenge we face is how we use it to get the hands-on part of education and training done. That's just one of the challenges we face in trying to better train our Airmen to support the joint warfighter and joint forces commander." 

The general predicted no specific changes in recruiting, noting that Air Force Recruiting Service has been doing a fantastic job of filling the ranks despite the wartime environment. 

"It's amazing to me what our great recruiters do day-to-day, especially with the number of recruiters we have in the field," General Lorenz said, referring to the relatively small number of recruiters the Air Force fields compared to the other services. "Our recruiters are very efficient and effective, and I am very impressed with what they do and how they do it." 

One thing that Airmen should continue to expect is more training geared to a forward-deployed combat environment. 

"We've been a nation at war for almost seven years now," he said. "Our Airmen are deployed all over the world, and they need the skills that will enable them to meet the requirements of the different theaters they are involved in, and those skills have changed over the years. 

"What we need to do at BMT and all levels of AETC is to listen to our people who have deployed, and listen to the needs of the combatant commanders, and train Airmen to that need." 

As for his own job as commander of the First Command, General Lorenz offered a day-to-day perspective. 

"One of the great things about being a member of the greatest Air, Space and Cyberspace force is that every day, when I put my feet on the floor as I roll out of the rack, I'm excited," the general said. "I'm excited because I don't know what I'm going to be doing that day, but I know it's going to be exciting serving the world's greatest Air, Space and Cyberspace force. And every night when I go to bed, I'm a little bit depressed, because it's one less day serving in that force. 

"I know that when you come to work, and you do your job, and you are excited and enthused about it; if you do that every day, in good times and bad, you will make a difference, and there will be progress."