14.2 Develops People (AFH-1 Section 14B)
Key Takeaways
- Section 14B is ADTC B for Staff Sergeant and Technical Sergeant; mentoring, counseling, and coaching are taught in Section 14C, not 14B, in the 15 February 2025 handbook.
- AFH 1 describes leading in the USAF as the art and science of accomplishing the USAF mission by motivating, influencing, and directing Airmen.
- The science of leadership is the methods and understanding of what leadership is; the art is the personal, subjective demonstration and application of leading.
- Warren G. Bennis is quoted: management is getting people to do what needs to be done; leadership is getting people to want to do what needs to be done.
- Bennis labels leader behaviors as motivate, develop, and inspire, and manager behaviors as administrators, maintainers, and controllers; AFH 1 maps those leader behaviors to Maslow's hierarchy.
14.2 Develops People (AFH-1 Section 14B)
Quick Answer: Leading in the USAF is the art and science of accomplishing the USAF mission by motivating, influencing, and directing Airmen. Management gets people to do what needs to be done; leadership gets people to want to do it (Warren G. Bennis). Bennis's leader behaviors are motivate, develop, and inspire; manager behaviors are administrators, maintainers, and controllers. Join professional associations, including the Junior Enlisted Airmen Council, 5/6 Council, Top III, and Chiefs' Group.
Section 14B is ADTC B for SSgt and TSgt (AFH 1, 14.6–14.8). Do not study mentoring, counseling, or coaching here. In the 15 February 2025 handbook those duties are Section 14C. Section 14B tests leadership responsibility, leadership versus management, Maslow as AFH 1 applies it, and professional associations. Full Range Leadership Development is Section 14D.
Leadership responsibility
Leadership is often indicated by a title or position, but AFH 1 treats it as an ability everyone can develop. Merriam-Webster defines lead as to guide on a way especially by going in advance, or to direct on a course. A military leader directs a military force or unit, or has commanding authority or influence. Leadership as a moral quality put into action can move mountains—or move people over, around, or through them.
Leading in the USAF is the art and science of accomplishing the USAF mission by motivating, influencing, and directing Airmen. Two central elements: the mission, objective, or task, and the Airmen who will accomplish it. The science of leadership (observed and studied) is the methods and understanding of what leadership is. The art (personal and subjective) is the demonstration and application of leading.
SSgt application: you already lead without a large duty title if you motivate, influence, and direct people toward the mission. TSgt application: hold both elements at once—the task and the Airmen. Dropping either one fails the handbook definition. A TSgt with a perfect schedule (management) and a crew that does not want to execute it has not led in Bennis's sense: the schedule only gets people to do the work if you also get them to want to do it. An Airman skipping upgrade training because a failed CDC might cost the job is a safety and security problem; AFH 1 says they will not focus on achievement until that concern is addressed.
Leadership and management
The topics are separate in many respects but go hand in hand. Organizations need a strong balance of both. AFH 1 quotes Warren G. Bennis, Ph.D.: Management is getting people to do what needs to be done. Leadership is getting people to want to do what needs to be done.
A leader leads or commands a group, organization, or country. Associated terms include flight leader, team leader, and squad leader. Bennis labeled three leader characteristics: motivate, develop, and inspire. Leaders move people in the right direction by satisfying needs for belonging (belongingness and love), recognition and self-esteem (esteem), and control over their lives (safety and security), which can lead to achievement (self-actualization). AFH 1 says this echoes Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Figure 14.1).
Maslow's hierarchy requires success at one level before the next. AFH 1's example: if you are hungry or thirsty (physiological), you will not focus on relationships (belongingness) until you have food and water. At work, people worried about job security will not focus on achievement, which blocks self-actualization.
| Need AFH 1 names | Why it shows up on a PFE stem |
|---|---|
| Physiological | Food and water first |
| Safety and security | Job-security fear blocks striving for achievement |
| Belongingness and love | Sense of belonging |
| Esteem | Recognition and self-esteem |
| Self-actualization | Achievement and full potential |
A manager controls or administers all or part of an organization. Associated terms include career field managers, major command functional managers, program managers, and project managers. Bennis labeled manager characteristics as administrators, maintainers, and controllers. Managers focus on tasks and control, and they make sure needed resources are available and used. Leaders launch and steer the organization toward goals and strategies.
| Managers | Leaders |
|---|---|
| Organize projects, staff positions, communicate plans, delegate, and monitor implementation | Align personnel needs, wants, emotions, and aspirations with the task |
| Order and consistency for readiness, availability, and sustainment | Lead people to accomplish the mission |
| Administrators, maintainers, and controllers (Bennis) | Motivate, develop, and inspire (Bennis) |
| Get people to do what needs to be done | Get people to want to do what needs to be done |
The best managers tend to become good leaders by practicing good management; effective leaders are often good managers. Do not treat the two as enemies.
Professional associations
Private organizations develop skills in many career fields. Membership can add leadership roles, public speaking, and mentoring, plus technical breadth. Units also have unofficial organizations such as the squadron booster club and event planning committees. Rank-based organizations include the Junior Enlisted Airmen Council, 5/6 Council, Top III, and the Chiefs' Group. An active role is highly encouraged.
SSgt application: the 5/6 Council is a tested rank-based forum, not optional social time. TSgt application: unofficial does not mean unimportant—booster clubs sit in the same paragraph as the councils.
AFH 1 Section 14B describes leading in the USAF as the art and science of accomplishing the USAF mission by which three actions?
Warren G. Bennis, quoted in AFH 1 Section 14B, distinguishes management from leadership how?
AFH 1 Section 14B encourages active membership in rank-based unit organizations. Which set does the handbook name?