Webinar: “Accelerating the Creation of a Combat Ready Team”
You’re invited to join us for our first “Leader to Leader” Webinar of 2024 where we invite leaders from a variety of contexts to share leadership best practices with our community of leaders.
Next month we will have a discussion on how to build high performing teams with Colonel Jason “Stinger” Houston, of the USAF. During this webinar, Col Houston will share how he assembled a new squadron of 60 “top gun” aviators within six weeks of deployment to the Middle East. What were his team development priorities, who were the key players, and how did he ultimately create a high-performing combat ready team in record time?
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM (MT); 11:00 AM to Noon (ET)
April, 2019 – A Team Development Case Study
“I took command of the 336th Fighter squadron in late April 2019. When I accepted this responsibility, the squadron culture was that of low trust, unhealthy divisions within the aircrew, and diminishing morale and standards. My first priority was to work on the morale and culture of the squadron to rebuild trust and get buy-in. My ultimate goal was to create a high-functioning, highly connected team that would be ready for a combat deployment a year later.
Within three weeks of taking command the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East had changed dramatically. Tensions with Iran had reached a boiling point when oil tankers were being attached in the Strait of Hormuz. Within six weeks of taking command, our squadron was Presidentially directed to deploy to combat, a year ahead of schedule, and my long-term strategy of rebuilding the culture of the squadron was overcome by a new series of events.
Before I knew it, I was leading 60 personnel (aviators and enlisted) and a squadron of F-15Es to the United Arab Emirates for an undetermined amount of time. We would spend the next six months not only deterring Iran but conducting simultaneous operations in three areas of responsibility: the Arabian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq and Syria (Operation Freedom Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve).”