Air Force Developmental Teams are incredibly powerful! Why didn't I know this?

I have two thoughts that I’d like to share and have a discussion on. The first is that Developmental Teams are really powerful and important for not only influencing the professional development of individual officers, but shaping the entire career field. I don’t know that I fully grasped that until now. Yes, I’ve known about how they vector officers to certain positions, including command, but they can change policy for everyone. This is more a statement of my realization than a comment on whether that’s a good or bad thing, but I am curious what you think about the concept of Developmental Teams.

My second thought is why did it take me so long to understand these things? I recognize that it’s largely my own fault because for the majority of my time in the Air Force I have eschewed the idea of being a commander. But I have to wonder if this is really the norm? When did you first understand command selection? How did you learn about it? What can we do better to help others learn this important information? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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The views expressed are those of the hosts and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the US Government. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.