MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Retired Gen. David Goldfein, former Air Force Chief of Staff, and former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson hosted a fireside chat for base personnel to discuss their book “Get Back Up: Lessons in Servant Leadership” at the Squadron Officer School Sept. 29.
With an unwavering dedication to the warfighter and emphasizing leading with character and serving with purpose, both leaders have set a precedent to prioritize quality of life and care for service members.
In their book, Air Force Academy classmates Wilson and Goldfein share four decades of lessons and experiences that shaped their careers and leadership.
“I’m a firm believer that every setback in life has the seeds of future success that we just can’t see in the moment,” said Goldfein. “When you face that setback, do you see the opportunity that’s in that, or do you just see the hurdle? Leaders are not actually graded by how high we fly when things are going well…we are truly graded by how high we bounce.”
As a decorated fighter pilot and leader, Goldfein flew combat missions during Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Allied Force and Enduring Freedom, finishing his active-duty service as the 21st Chief of Staff. His legacy includes advancing multi-domain operations, strengthening partnerships with allied air forces, and championing joint all domain command and control, an initiative to connect warfighters across the air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.
“In our system of government, almost all the authority is with the secretary, but almost all of the influence is with the chief,” said Wilson on her experience working with Goldfein. “If you can figure out how to work together toward common goals, you can get a lot done. Dave and I figured out very early on that we wanted to get stuff done, [and] we shared common values.”
Appointed SECAF in 2017, Dr. Wilson oversaw an increase in Air Force readiness, the modernization of nuclear deterrence, expanded the pilot training pipeline to address critical shortages, and championed space as a warfighting domain, laying foundational work for the U.S. Space Force.
Published in coordination with Air University Press in July, the book “Get Back Up” details lessons learned in setbacks, leadership, resilience and teamwork as leaders willing to listen and adapt.
As Air University's publisher, AU Press supports Department of the Air Force personnel development by enriching PME curriculum, informing doctrine and expanding research in air, land, maritime, space, cyberspace and information domains.
“Studying history makes you smart…but heritage makes us proud,” Wilson said. “Being able to tap into that by highlighting the stories of those who you want to hold up as role models for those who lead is really important.”
During their visit, Wilson and Goldfein also met with the Leader Development Course team, attended the Senior NCO Academy auditorium for a Barnes Enlisted Education Center discussion, and participated in a “Get Back Up” podcast interview.