With the 75th Anniversary of the Air Force just days away—highlighted by plans for flyovers of current and historic aircraft and other festivities—Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. added two books and two podcasts to his “Leadership Library” on Sept. 14.
Brown intends for his Leadership Library, launched in March 2021, to “spark conversations for you with fellow Airmen, with your family, and with your friends,” he has written to Airmen. Thus far, 36 books, movies, and podcasts have been added.
This is what Brown had to say about each new selection:
Veterans Chronicles: In Their Own Words, by Radio America
“We honor the Air Force’s 75th birthday by celebrating our service’s rich past and evoking the gallantry of Airmen who rose to the challenges of their respective eras. In [this podcast], Brig. Gen. Charles McGee reflects on his remarkable 30-year career as one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. Although Gen. McGee passed away in January at the age of 102 after ‘a life well lived,’ his courage and embodiment of the core values continue to buoy us into the future.“
Warriors in Their Own Words, by The Honor Project
“This past July, I had the incredible honor of meeting Colonel ‘Bud’ Anderson, America’s last living triple fighter ace, at the annual Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin. Colonel Anderson’s autobiographical account in the Warriors in Their Own Words podcast is another enthralling and heroic personification of Airmen rising to the challenge to meet seemingly impossible tasks and defeat the enemies of their time.”
Managing Generation Z: How to Recruit, Onboard, Develop, and Retain the Newest Generation in the Workplace, by Robin Paggi and Kat Clowes
“Galvanizing the rich legacies of Airmen like Brig. Gen. McGee and Col. Anderson requires us to continue building an enlisted and officer corps that represents the best the nation has to offer. [This book] is a practical guide for leaders at all echelons to understand, recruit, train, and lead the next generation of professional Airmen.”
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein
“Tomorrow’s Airmen face renewed 21st-century challenges of managing deterrence, preparing for near-peer conflict, and innovating an updated force design. [This book] illustrates how to reframe these wicked problems by using ‘nudges’ to avoid bias and recognize subtle cues to modify how we make decisions.”