A-10 Warthog pilot and combat veteran, Col. (Ret.) Kim “KC” Campbell ’97, recounts an incident over Baghdad leading her to make a decision that changed her life then and informs how she leads to this day.

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SUMMARY

Kim shares her leadership journey, from overcoming resistance to pursuing her dreams to describing the life changing effect one very long hour had in the cockpit of her A-10. She emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and professional development throughout one's career. She discusses the challenges of balancing life and leading, and the lessons she learned from failures and pushing outside her comfort zone. She shares the importance of having a wingman who supports you in both personal and professional aspects of life.

OUR FAVORITE QUOTES

"Any leader that isn't working to be better and trying to develop themselves along the way, is probably going to hit an endpoint at some point. We have to constantly learn to improve and adapt and it requires work. Leadership requires work."

"When I started out, I had this idea that leadership was like, put on this tough exterior, have the answers, be strong and credible and capable.”

"I absolutely think leadership requires work. It's not easy. There are challenges, there are things to learn, things to adapt. It's just constantly one of those things that professional development, for me is something that should continue throughout your career throughout your life, always looking for new ways."

"I think one of the things that really sticks out to me that we learned as cadets is the idea of having a wingman by your side personally, professionally. Someone that will have your back someone that will support you."

"If you want something, you're going to have to work for it. And it's not going to be easy."

 - Col. (Ret.) Kim "KC" Campbell '97

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CHAPTERS

00:00 :  Continuous Improvement and Professional Development

03:52 :  Overcoming Resistance and Pursuing Dreams

06:36 :  Lessons from Running Cross-Country

08:58 :  Persistence and Overcoming Rejection

13:02 :  Leadership Journey at the Air Force Academy

15:17 :  Finding Passion and Purpose in the A-10

16:14 :  Life-Changing Moment in Baghdad

19:51 :  Lessons and Vulnerability in Writing a Book

22:09 :  Balancing Life and Leadership

26:14 :  Leadership Development and Growth

28:37 :  Authenticity and Human Connection in Leadership

32:16 :  Family's Influence on Leadership

36:58 :  Learning from Failure and Pushing Outside Comfort Zone

41:11 :  Building Human Connections and Getting to Know People

42:34 :  The Importance of Having a Wingman

43:31 :  The Importance of Having a Wingman

43:59 :  How to Get in Touch

44:30 :  Connect with Kim

44:55 :  Feedback and Connection

45:26 :  The Story Behind the Call Sign

45:54 :  Book Title and Conclusion

OUR FAVORITE TAKEAWAYS

 - Leadership requires continuous improvement and professional development.

 - Overcoming resistance and pursuing dreams are essential in leadership.

 - Balancing life and leadership is a challenge that requires flexibility and grace.

 - Building human connections and having a wingman for support are crucial in leadership.

KIM'S BIO

Kim “KC” Campbell is a retired Colonel who served in the Air Force for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. She has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2003, Kim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission.

As a senior military leader, Kim has led hundreds of Airmen both at home and abroad in deployed locations and enabled them to succeed in their missions. She has experience leading complex organizations and driving cultural change. Kim knows what it takes to be a successful leader, to inspire and empower high performance teams to achieve success. Kim is passionate about leadership and feels strongly that leaders earn trust by leading with courage and connecting with their team.

- Bio copy and image credit:  www.kim-kc-campbell-com

CONNECT WITH KIM  |  LEARN MORE  |   BUY FLYING IN THE FACE OF FEAR

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

SPEAKERS

Our guest, Col. (Ret.) Kim "KC" Campbell, '97  |  Our host, Naviere Walkewicz '99

Col. (Ret.) Kim "KC" Campbell  00:11

Any leader that isn't working to be better and trying to develop themselves along the way, is probably going to hit an endpoint at some point. We have to constantly learn to improve and adapt and it requires work. Leadership requires work. It's, you know — it's not easy. There are challenges; there are things to learn. Professional development should continue throughout your career, throughout your life, always looking for new ways.

Naviere Walkewicz  01:07

My guest today is retired Col. Kim Casey Campbell, a 1997 graduate of the Air Force Academy, a warrior whose career included supporting warfighters on the ground from the cockpit of an A-10 Warthog, where she earned the callsign “Killer Chick.” She's a mom, wife of a retired Air Force colonel and published author. She's a motivational speaker on the topic of leadership. That includes the story of a moment where, if she hadn't also learned to be a good follower, she might not be with us today — as in, not alive. Col. Campbell's path to the Air Force Academy was one of overcoming resistance; she won the first fight of her life to join the wing, then she went on to lead it. We’ll talk with her about her book, “Flying in the Face of Fear,” her time at the Academy, and much more. Kim, thank you for being here today.

Col. (Ret.) Kim "KC" Campbell  01:54

Thanks so much for having me. I appreciate it.

Naviere Walkewicz  01:56

It's always a pleasure speaking to someone that — we were at the Academy the same time. I was, ’99. You're my upper classmen? You probably had me do pushups or something? And you recently came back for your reunion?

Col. (Ret.) Kim "KC" Campbell  02:11

Well, now that I live in Colorado, it's always, you know — I get to spend a lot of time at the Air Force Academy. But it is always so good to see my classmates. And I think it's so much fun, because you kind of forget anything that was bad. And the memories are things that you might want to forget. And it's just, I don't know, fun to bring everybody back together again and see everyone and see what people have accomplished. And you know, their personal life and professional life. It's just a lot of fun.

Naviere Walkewicz  02:36

I love that. I find that, you know, things stayed the same, but they're different. What was something that really stood out to you that you thought was a kind of a span that that space of time, it really didn't get touched? What was something that stood out?

Col. (Ret.) Kim "KC" Campbell  02:48

I don't know.