In Episode 10 of Long Blue Leadership, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field ’79, now president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association, discusses his leadership philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, family, and the five core values by which he lives. Listen now!

SUMMARY

Burt Field, a retired Lieutenant General and CEO of the Air and Space Forces Association, discussed his career and leadership philosophy. He highlighted his upbringing as an Air Force brat, his academic journey at the Air Force Academy, and his early leadership roles. Field emphasized the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, and avoiding being an "asshole" in leadership. He shared impactful experiences, such as leading during the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the significance of family support. Field also discussed the Air and Space Forces Association's efforts in advocacy, education, and family resilience, stressing the need for strong national security and defense.

LEADERSHIP BITES

1. Values-Driven Leadership: Burt shared his 5 core leadership values - integrity, fortitude, excellence, teamwork, and service. Defining your values and using them to guide your decisions and actions is crucial.


2. Continuous Learning: Burt emphasized that as a leader, you can never stop learning, whether it's about your organization, industry, or even topics outside your expertise. Staying curious and open to growth is key.


3. Empowering Others: Burt stressed that a leader's job is to empower and inspire their team, not try to do everything themselves. Recognizing and rewarding excellence in others is vital.


4. Effective Communication: Burt noted that leaders can never communicate too much or well enough. Repeatedly delivering clear, consistent messages is essential for alignment and buy-in.


5. Humility and Inclusivity: True leadership requires humility, giving credit to others, and making the organization successful.

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TAKEAWAYS

1. Never stop learning. As a leader, you must continuously learn and expand your knowledge, even in areas outside your expertise.


2. Define your leadership philosophy and values. Burt shared his 5 core values of integrity, fortitude, excellence, teamwork, and service. Having a clear set of guiding principles is crucial.


3. Recognize and reward excellence. Identify and empower those who have put in the hard work to become experts in their fields. This builds a strong, capable team.


4. Communicate effectively, repeatedly. Effective communication is critical, but leaders often underestimate how many times a message needs to be delivered clearly.


5. Burt emphasized the importance of being inclusive, giving credit, and making the organization successful rather than yourself. Avoid toxic, self-serving leadership.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to General Burt Field

01:52 Growing Up as an Air Force Brat

05:40 Choosing the Air Force Academy

10:26 Life as a Cadet at the Academy

19:09 Leadership Development During Cadet Years

23:15 The Integration of Women at the Academy

24:12 Influential Leaders in General Field's Career

28:28 Learning from Subordinates

34:15 Career Path and Leadership Philosophy

37:54 A Chance Encounter: Love and Military Life

41:13 Building Resilient Families in the Military

42:12 The Journey to Leadership: From Air Force to AFA

45:57 Empowering the Next Generation: Education and STEM

49:46  Leadership Lessons: Insights from Experience

5 FRANK KEYS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS

1. "You can never stop learning. You have to learn. And whether it's leadership or anything else, you have to always learn."


2. "Everything comes from your values. When I make leadership decisions, or when I look at how we're going to move forward, or what, how we're going to accomplish the mission, it should reflect those values in my decisions, how I act, how I from the biggest thing of creating a here's the strategy, or in objectives on on what we're going to accomplish, to the smallest things, like how I conduct a meeting."


3. "If you want to be a really good leader, you need to be really good at something. So you got to put in the work when you're young to be really good and understand how hard it is to be really good at something."


4. "You cannot communicate enough, and you cannot communicate well enough. So I use this example all the time. I come up with a message. I craft it, I think about it, I write it down, I practice it, and then I deliver it, and it's awesome. I was perfect. I nobody could have misunderstood me when I'm done with that, and I really think that I have hit the mark with maybe 20% I probably got to say that again, that way or differently, about another 10 or 15 times when I can barely stand to hear myself talk anymore, and I'm still not going to get everybody."


5. "I'm going to give the credit and I'm going to take the blame. That's how you become a good leader."

 - Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field ’79, October 2024

ABOUT GEN. FIELD

BIO

Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.), is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Air & Space Forces Association, leading the Association’s professional staff in its mission to advocate, educate, and support the Air & Space Forces. As CEO, he oversees operations and resourcing for AFA and its 113,000 members, including events, publications, and the Mitchell Institue for Aerospace Studies, the nation’s only think tank dedicated to air and space power.  

A veteran of 35 years of Air Force service, Field retired from active duty in 2015 following his final tour, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Requirements. Throughout his career, Field commanded a squadron, the Air Force Weapons School, three wings, a numbered Air Force, and a sub-unified command. A command pilot with over 3,400 flying hours in the F-16 and F-22, he served twice on the Joint Staff and completed a tour in the State Department as the military assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his last assignment, he led policy and requirements decision-making for air, space, irregular warfare, counter-proliferation, homeland security, and cyber operations. Prior to that assignment, he served as the Commander of United States Forces, Japan, and Commander of 5th Air Force from 2010-2012 where he led the U.S. military response to support Japan during the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster of 2011.  

Following his retirement, he served as the Vice President of Strategic Planning for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, developing strategies that guided and contributed to over $5 billion in growth in a five-year period. He also managed a $500 million New Business Funds portfolio for independent research and development. Since 2020, he has been an independent defense consultant, served as a subject matter expert working with and mentoring Airmen at all levels, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation.  

Field graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1979 and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, both officers in the USAF.

- Bio image and copy credit: AFA.org

CONNECT WITH GEN. FIELD

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ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP

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TRANSCRIPT

SPEAKERS

GUEST:  Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field ’79 | Host:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99

Naviere Walkewicz 00:00

My guest today is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field USAFA Class of ’79, president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association. He spen