Nearly 30,000 people come to work through the gates of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma every day. For the last two years, the safety, security, and wellbeing of those thousands of personnel have been in the hands of two leaders: Col. Abby Ruscetta, the commander of the 72nd Air Base Wing, and Chief Master Sgt. Chris Gradel, the wing’s command chief and Ruscetta’s right-hand man. Ruscetta (who retired shortly after this episode was recorded) and Gradel joined us on “Building Better Leaders” to give a candid (and often funny) glimpse into the Commander/Command Chief relationship, how they enable up-and-down feedback with one another and their teams, and why they believe communication is the foundation of leading well.

The Doolittle Leadership Center's podcast, Building Better Leaders, features candid conversations with a wide range of influential leaders about their stories— and how they have learned to lead. Dr. Patrick Donley, Director of the DLC, hosts episodes at a variety of exciting locations across the globe as he tours with the DLC's on-location leader development workshops.