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August 28, 2005
GTD in the Air Force
Friday I had one of the most rewarding days I can remember, in terms of GTD and interacting with the best and brightest. I spent all day with Brigadier General Randal Fullhart, Commandant of the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. Randy had run across GTD in the bookstore in Spokane when he was commanding a wing there three years ago. Since then he has given the book to all his directs, and now to all the students of the Air Force college he heads. His mission of teaching critical thinking skills to the young folks who will wind up in some of the most challenging and highly exposed (in every regard) situations on the planet has created a fertile field in which to plant the GTD gene. I'm still processing how impressed I was not only with Randy himself but with the aligned vision, integrity, service-orientation and openness to learning I experienced all over the campus.
I've always loved working with military officers in general. When they're not fighting they're learning. Wouldn't it be nice in the private (and even the public) sector, when we're not directly delivering value, we're training to produce greater value!?
My good friend Frances Hesselbein (Leader to Leader Institute) had told me about how inspiring her pro bono work and relationship was with Randy, who had invited her last year to spend time with his troops. I now know why.
Posted by David at August 28, 2005 02:17 PM
Comments
Great book, great system. I'm glad the AF is learning the lessons. Now if the people in the WH and DoD had only put at the top of their Action List : Take a class in assessment of intelligence, Take a Class in Critical Thinking, Read State Dept Reports, Request Details with Reports, perhaps we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now. And the next action list item would have been to finish the job in Afghanistan and avoided the Quagmire of Iraq.
Posted by: Billy Bob at August 28, 2005 10:24 PM
David,
I'm a Navy officer and have been using GTD for over three years now. I've found it easy to implement and very effective in keeping me productive. Its a perfect tool for this (and many other) businesses.
Posted by: kurt wendelken at August 29, 2005 05:42 AM
Thank you. We considered ourselves fortunate to have you share your insight and see our campus. Over the weekend, I picked up a copy of "Ready for Anything" to complement GTD. I'm glad you found the trip rewarding also.
Posted by: Jean at August 30, 2005 05:23 PM
David,
Thanks for the kind words. Your presentation, and the encouragement you are providing to our students, will pay off in countless ways as they go forward to further serve the nation.
We look forward to you and your staff joining us in future endeavors.
rdf
Posted by: Randal Fullhart at August 31, 2005 10:44 AM
