Air Force photograph by Senior Airman Devante Williams

Sheila Heen, Harvard Law School professor and negotiation expert, spoke with Thunderbolts about giving and receiving feedback at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 25, 2017. Heen met with multiple groups of Airmen to discuss different types of feedback and how to put her practices into action to more effectively build the future of airpower.

Sheila Heen, Harvard Law School professor and negotiation expert, came to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 25 to speak with Thunderbolts about the art and science of feedback.

“I received a call from the leadership at Luke wanting me to come help educate the Airmen here,” Heen said. “My goal is to give them the tools to successfully give feedback to their peers in a way that is innovative.”

Heen held an all call Sept. 25 with Airmen to discuss different types of feedback and how they can put her practices into action immediately.

“One of the most fun things for me has been the learning curve on my end,” Heen said. “I came here with the resources and observations to offer about maximizing feedback, but you guys know how to apply it.”

Feedback sessions are critical to Airmen’s careers. Supervisors often give feedback which can ultimately affect an Airmen’s ability to progress in their careers.
“They can use anything that we talked about to support one another,” Heen said. “Everyone’s committed to helping each other.”

In addition to the all call Heen also met with Wing Command Teams, flight commanders, and many of the instructors throughout the Wing.

“The passion that people have for what they’re doing here is really inspiring,” Heen said. “People care a lot about whether we can do it better and I’m happy to see the results.”

At Luke, we challenge ourselves to change the Air Force from the 56th Fighter Wing. With the new information received from Heen, she hopes that the Thunderbolts can inspire her.

“I’m excited to see what you guys do with the information,” Heen said. “From what I’ve seen, Luke AFB is exceptional at innovation. I can’t wait to learn from you guys and improve myself.”