PACE program inspires affective leadership

Published Feb. 16, 2016
By Staff Sgt. Katrina M. Brisbin
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- As the Air Force continues to develop and expand in air, space and cyberspace endeavors, so do the members of the force. In an effort to link professionals together and provide tools to enhance work environments, the Profession of Arms Center of Excellence was formed in March 2015.

PACE, a center established at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, focuses on studies, analysis and assessment for command strategic priorities associated with Airman professionalism. The center is broken down into several sections, one of which is a team of nine instructors who take turns traveling around the globe to present the curriculum.

Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Fisher, PACE superintendent, stopped by to speak with Team Buckley Feb. 12 during an Enhancing Human Capital course focusing on professionalism.

The five-hour course covered various topics, including the attributes and dangers of personal bias, phenomenon of entrenched thinking, mandate verses organic leadership skills and gave tools people can use to develop productive, healthy relationships at work and at home.

"This briefing gives you great perspective," said Maj. Samuel Aston, 460th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander, who attended the course

Focused on reaching Air Force leaders at all levels, the interactive briefing also covered different types of learning, effective communication, active listening and the affective leadership approach in an attempt to provide better understand of how professionalism drives individual member behavior.

"Our main goal is to form and shape an environment that centers around trust, loyalty and commitment," said Fisher.

The affective leadership approach stems from Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains and includes the manner in which people deal with things emotionally, such as feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms, motivations and attitudes.

"We don't want to present this information and ever abandon that we are in the military and we have certain standards," said Fisher. "What we find is through the affective leadership environment, identity and value-based education, that people are going to want to come to work and give it their best. If you create the environment where they're happy, they're going to be more successful, efficient and feel apart of the team."

Throughout the briefing, Fisher went over scenarios that leaders face every day. The scenarios were analyzed and discussed as a group to show different points of view and conflict resolution approaches.

"It helps open your eyes to make you think and really see that we are all different and it's not necessarily a bad thing. You just have to make your people strengths work for you," said Aston.

For more information and to access their Web products, visit the PACE website or engage with PACE through social media via their Twitter account at @ProfessionalAmn and their Facebook page.