BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The Air Force’s Professional Development Guide, AFPAM 36-2241, outlines eight institutional competencies and 24 sub-competencies the Air Force uses to establish a common language and set of priorities for consistency across the force. These competencies ensure Airmen, regardless of occupation, have the skills needed to get the job done in an ever-changing operational environment. They also place institutional responsibilities into a context of how our Airmen should be developed, form the framework for force development, and provide the standards to which we hold our Airmen, non-commissioned officers and Senior NCOs accountable.
These competencies are broken into three main tiers: personal, people/team and organizational. As leaders, we should live and breathe these competencies throughout our career, using them as tools to steer, guide and coach ourselves, our teams and our organizations to achieve great mission sets and strategic goals. Utilizing these competencies will help us sustain and grow the best Air Force the world has seen.
I recently attended the Air Force Basic Military Training graduation. During the ceremony, I reflected on a career of 23.5 years and questioned where I would have ended up without these competencies. This reflection helped me see that, regardless of my role, the competencies empowered me to have an effective impact on the organizations I supported throughout my career. When you find a moment, I encourage you to pause and reflect on your own career, think about the role these competencies are playing in your own Air Force journey and how they can help you in the future.