Woman in congress could be sitting in this very room. Im really excited to bring up our next speaker. She has more than 30 three yeaf experience in National Security and defense, both in the federal government and the private sector. Shes an expert in the fence, government services, and has extensive leadership experience. She was the 23rd secretary of the air force. [cheers and applause] one of two women to hold the position. And i know she will probably talk but her new book. We have available in the bookstore here on the Convention Floor and i just got a cup and i look forward to reading it. Id like now to bring up ms. Deborah james and moderator colonel carol. [applause] good morning, everybody. Good morning. All right. Well, good morning and im honored to be able to moderate you this morning. So as she just mentioned were going to be talking about secretary james new book. I read it. Listen to. It is absolutely amazing i will say to you today thats what were going to talk about. So first and foremost, you can break the ice what inspired you to tell your story . Well, threat my life, and measured, ive been active business in the National Security for 40 years. Time goes by since that buyer was written. Ive been always a civilian and i have worked in congress. Ive been innovating on for several tours and the been in private industry, always workg on defense issues. And as is make my way up and trying to figure out my career next move to the ups and downs of life, i would always look up to the people above me and there were very few women at that point to look up to, but there were a couple and there were some in. And i would always wonder to myself, wow, there lies must be perfect, that they were able to obtain these great heights, and you was my life which had some successes but plenty of failures, and i felt like it hotness in comparison to these role models i would look up to. Of course i know now that wasnt true, that everybody has something. So i wanted to, the next generation of women who may in some ways looked to me and think wow, she mustve had this perfect career of this trajectory without any problems. It aint so, and some tried to show some of those challenges. Because you know what, youll learn as much a failures in life if not more than you get from your successes. The other thing i was a great beneficiary coming up through the ranks of mentors, people who help me along the way. I believe very strongly that it incumbent upon all of us who reach certain leadership point that when you debate forward and we need to mentor others, which i tried to do. I do quite a bit of it actually but by writing a book and putting the story out there it was a way of sort of mentoring and higher level. So those were the reasons that and i time on my hands. Whats the 23rd sector air force going to do when she gets out of office . Very good. The first thing id like to say is when those of you who get the book, it is actually broken that in three main parts. The first part talks about chart and navigate your course. So when the book, reading it, id like to ask you what key insight to develop roadmaps, your roadmap, and charting your course in your career . I want to begin by explaining that the book is laid out in three main parts and are strategies under each one, and believe me, when i was in my 20s and 30s this wasnt some formula that i instinctively knew about or that i followed but rather this is something that the age i am an experience i am, im looking back and reflect and trying to put down my Lessons Learned. So when it comes to some of those Lessons Learned, i think some of it was just instinctual with me. The others came to me through trial and error of things that either even i did write and to work and lets do more of it, or as a set failures. I tell stories of ghosts and what is on from those failures. Its also been an observer on the scene and being a careful listener and watch her of others, have how others either succeed or fail. I do believe first of all to chart and navigate you have to take control of your own life. Everyone at all times regardless of whether you are in life ought to have a plan, a plant a lets call it, appears why want to , here are my ideas. What are the steps i ought to be taken to achieve those goals. But at the same time be prepared to give it because you may reach the goal and find out that you dont like it once you get there. It may not give you that fulfilling your searching for. Or you may not reach it which is what happened to be in my early life. My first dream literally and up and spoke had to give it. So plan b though whatever that pivot maybe could be even better. You dont know what youre going to been spybot until you try. Always have a plan a but be prepared to give it. Very good. Secretary, and she spoke about your plan a didnt quite work, can you share, and in the book the secretary recounts working for the state department of not being able to do that. I think he used the term you were rejected, if you will. How did you move forward with that being able to benefit and you kind of recount wanting to Say Something to secretary kerry later but did not. But you said that was a big turning point, big turning point in your career. Right. When i was a young person i had my plan a a and wanted to get diplomat. I wanted to travel the world and work on Foreign Policy matters with the state department. Throughout high school, college, graduate school i took all the right courses. Ive learned a foreign language. I lived abroad and became immersed for a semester. I even was able to secure a rather highly coveted internship with the state department when i got out of graduate school and moved to washington and applied, i felt i had everything going my way. What more could anyone expect a vacant person who at that point maybe i was 23 or 24. Well, as you say, i applied an account rejected and it was the first big rejection ive had in life and i just remember crashing. I remember literally going to bed for the better part of a week and crying. I was so depressed and dejected and thought my life is flashing before my eyes. But, of course, when asked to eventually get out of bed because i need a paycheck that dont we all need a paycheck and life . I started like elsewhere and to land a job on the one offered it i received as a civilian with the department of the army. Wheres the army [cheers and applause] this is very exciting except that the time guess what works it was exciting to be what did i know that im being truthful. What did i about the army or the military at large . I had no real exposure. I i had never thought of it befe and i was still feeling dejected from the sole state department experience. But it took the job. I did my best. After a few months the most remarkable thing started happening. Some really interesting work i was in cajun celestin in the sense of purpose that i was working on in my own the way these major issues of the day affecting our National Security. I had a great team, there was camaraderie. They cared about me. I learned from the and had a first great boss was my first great mentor. After that one thing led to the next led to the next, that became this what i think has been a fantastic and she actually the fully career for me all focus on military. Capitol hill, the pentagon, the business will, supporting, defense. Before you in on 35 years have gone by and i get to be the second woman ever to lead the military service. Amazing. All of this i want to remind you started with a big failure and a plan and that turned into plan b. So the john kerry story, when im secretary, im hobnobbing with the big people and got to meet then secretary of state john kerry. It was all i could do to contain myself and not say to this man, thank you, thank you, thank you, that you rejected me 35 years ago. Do you know what . Life turned out pretty doggone well for me. [laughing] but, of course, i said none of that. I think we talked about the weather because thats what diplomats do is they talk about the weather. Thank you, maam. Thank you. As you discussed you just read the highlighted your first job with the army which turned out to be an amazing job. That was also the first time you got a great mentor. Yes. And you articulate how you made it forward at as your mentor me in your career . Ive done mentoring one of one. Thats very important. When i got into position of authority both in business and one of secretary of the air force, i actually insisted that we launch formal mentoring programs. I spent about a dozen years with a Company Called saic which is headquartered locally here, and when had a Business Unit of account and was leading a team of people, i required of my direct reports that all of us mentor others, that we had identified as being our hypertension, next generation of leaders we wanted to bring up along the way. I did it myself and i actually rated my people on the requirement to do it and how well they would do it and so on. We set up a program surrounding it. In air force and help it still exist, we launched something called my vector, and this is already in existence but we sort of, i should so we beat it up. We enlarged it. We made it bigger. If you havent heard of it its a match. Com like approach to people all over the world, can go online, can say that like to be mentored on certain subjects, certain fields, et cetera, then mentors, people like me you are willing to mentor others were also going fine. We would list what were able to give advice on and it would be matches that was created. Again i expect in my direct to do that when i was secretary. Try to encourage others, talked it up. Theres different ways to pay it forward but the most important thing is just do it one of one. Everyone has the power to do it one of one. Thank you. Interpol to highlight the importance of having a Diverse Network as well. You talk about the network of those, the committee to live in, those you work with, those who you work for. Can you expound on that Great Network which is how it helps you and your career . Absolutely. Everyone in this room although theres 1000 people and you wont be able to over the course of two days get to meet and and and no Edwin Anderson but please dont leave your over the next few days without at least meeting people you can release keep in touch with and become part of your greater network. With the exception of the state department as i said i was applying and how to apply to the department of the army after that, i can honestly say ive never applied cold for a job again. And its thanks to referrals that i would get, tip i would receive from either someone who i considered to have been my mentor in life, although i mentors by the way were informal so ive never actually myself been in one of these programs have just mentioned to you. Mentors or the networks essentially opening a door, now of course its up to me to walk through that door to be able to tell my story, to be able to hopefully secure that job, but the network, i all greet to that and a great deal of continual learning. Thats another important aspect of life is never rest on your laurels. Keep learning and the network and your mentors can help you do that. Thank you. You also talk about leading inspired teams as you just highlighted or during your tenure as secretary of the air force we had actually experience a nuclear incident. Can you talk about how you rounded the Team Together to look into that incident and that you went on to do an investigation and move forward . Can you talk about how you transform that team . Yes, nothing but by the way. Whenever you say nuclear got to make sure it was an incident but nothing blue sky high. Three weeks into my tenure as secretary of the air force, so here i am, brandnew, i have my plan a, six months of a a travl schedule all laid out when going to be pursuing teams that will going to be my monitor, sector the air force. And boom i get an email that is a for me and other Senior Leaders that theres been a cheap incident at west and Malmstrom Air force base which is the site of one of her icbm units. So the nuclear missile. Young officers are were standig watch and prepared using these weapons, should ever come to america were caught cheating. Some of them are caught cheating on a proficiency exam. Of course in washington anything nuclear immediately youre worried it will go nuclear. The present has to be informed in the press is all over you about it. So im brandnew and what to do . I did know exactly what to do at first but a new its a big gift and a predicate on top of it and fast. So it took a few days, got myself more prepped up with the team, air force team surrounding me, about the checks and balances and was able to convince myself that the Nuclear Enterprise was safe and secure. But still we had this matter in front of us, why did it happen and what were we going to do about it. Decided to go public with the information. In washington big secrets frequently leaked anyway and ive learned in my life that badges only gets worse with the passage of time. Get out there, tell people the forthright with congress, the president we did with her own airmen as well. Heres what we know, heres what we dont yet know but were going to find out, stay tuned, well give you periodic updates. After that press conference i remember ripping at that travel schedule and instead i focused on the Nuclear Enterprise for about the next six months. And discovered that it went way, way dion just a handful of cheating, that there were issues, cultural issues, that there was undemanding, at the way they were training was actually encouraging cheating. I hate to say that but they were only promoting airmen hookah 100 on this test and so the experiment as a turned up probably didnt cheat to pass. They cheated to get 100 . So there was a lot of changes that came out of that for training for people, for modernization which i think overall were good changes, even though it all started with a bat incident. That so much the way life is. You got to take something bad and pull from the Lessons Learned and leave it in a better position than you found it. Thank you. I know the clock is ticking. One of the other things you talk about in your book was about diversity, how to create a more diverse force. So being that were here at the womens leadership symposium and diversity is a big topic, used it when and my in other words, indie book are an important tool as we succeed in america, especially in the military. However, there continues to be a lack as we just saw on the screen a lot of firsts last year dod did report that really talked about female officers and the number is still staggering. I am an African American female and i noticed that we dont have any in the air force, havent had any sense 2005. We have now, the marine has the first one. Can you talk about what you believe are barriers to women and minority women reaching those ranks . I think we need to focus more on recruiting more in the front door, so focus on our we do a better job of bringing new women and new people of color in my in other words, on board that we do ultimately in retaining them at midcareer. So its more, better retention and how do you do that, i think i was go back to what i call the three keys to look at your policies, youve got to look at your processes and you got to look at people programmatic issues ps. For example, during the tenure that i served in some of this was brought, effective the entire military by order of the secretary of defense and some of it was specifically air force which would have been my control. But policies can sometimes policies are outdated. For example, redoubled the Maternity Leave policy for women during that era. The actual advocate for tripling of the navy did for a few months. Every but had to be the same but thats an example of worklife balance, a key reason why when a particular get out and by the way we extend the term elite as well. We allowed more for men as well. Postpregnancy diplomas, it used to be six months. We extend that any air force one year. So a new mother would not face deployment for at least when youre out as opposed to what had been. Issues of flexibility in all of these are examples of policies. Process, we found a process issue with respect to how we gave exceptions for people of shorter stature. Frequently when but not always to go into the pilot career field. We expanded and hopefully opened up the aperture for more women to be pilots which an air force as you know is a a big deal. Its what most Senior Leaders are, they are pilots. And then an example of the people issues, this is mentoring, focusing on people and Leadership Development and a professional development. These are the three key areas that we need to do more of. On the big believer in measuring. One of the things i cant i did during my tenure, i gave goals for officer. I member at the time we had about 25 women entering the air force academy as firstyear students and i said give me 30. I pretty much made that up. Theres nothing magic about 30 but is stretched them giving more, lets do better. That cause the cad and other officer accession programs to go and search out more qualified women. In your one we did quite make 30 but we make 28 we might have even made that if i i had not t a goal out. Measurement helps and followup is crucial. Okay. As we are about to close, i do have one question, if i could take you back to the point in time when you are serving as secretary of the air force what was truly your aha moment where you are operating in your zone, you were like wow, this is what i can do . You were there. I think it may well event after that Nuclear Matter that we talked about earlier. Because that was one that was highstakes. Not heavy was in favor, for example, of making this a public matter. They felt like this was sensitive and could remain private and whatnot. I kind of block the type on the i use my own leadership imperative and follow my own instincts. And because that at the end of day it was a bad situation but because we were able to make it better and the transparency actually Congress Gave us kudos for being transparent about it. That made me feel like following my instincts and having that confidence that i was in a good place. I think that was my aha moment. So the very beginning. Been very beginning. Thank you, secretary james. Ladies and gentleme