True Leadership

It starts with leading yourself.

- DAN PIMENTEL

As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United States Air Force’s most senior uniformed officer, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. is responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 689,000 active-duty National Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the US and overseas. A military adviser to the secretary of defense, Security Council, and president, Gen. Brown is the kind of a leader that knows true leadership is much more than just giving orders.

Throughout his career, Brown has ascended up through the ranks of the Air Force after being called upon to command a fighter squadron, the US Air Force Weapons School, two fighter wings, and the US Air Forces Central Command while amassing 2,900 flying hours—130 of them in combat. Through it all, Brown drew upon his pragmatic view of military service and human interaction to develop a personal skill set built around knowing his strengths and weaknesses.

“I subscribe to the belief that you must lead yourself before you can lead others,” Brown says. “I’m also a big fan of knowing the difference between your superpower and your kryptonite, which will contribute to your leadership style with the Airmen that you have the privilege to lead. Everyone has a superpower, something that defines who they are, and today’s Air Force leaders need to be able to identify these special attributes within their ranks to build teams with varied skills to engage successfully while countering their kryptonite.”