Great leadership starts with understanding your people. For Col. (Ret.) DeAnna Franks ’99, effective mentorship means listening first, building trust and taking time to understand each person’s goals and challenges.

1. Build genuine connections — Take time to learn about the people you work with, because strong relationships help teams work together and endure.
2. Lead with the person’s needs in mind — Understand someone’s circumstances before offering guidance so your advice is relevant and useful.
3. Listen before advising — Hear what someone is facing, acknowledge it, and then offer practical options rather than a rigid path.
4. Seek near-peer mentors — Learn from people who have recently walked a path you hope to follow, while also drawing on senior leaders for broader guidance.
5. Stay open to feedback — Junior colleagues can offer valuable perspective, and accepting it helps leaders correct course and set a good example.
6. Communicate your goals — Sharing your plans with your leaders can help them advocate for you and identify opportunities.
7. Define “best” by fit, not prestige — A role that suits your strengths and lets you contribute to the team may be a better choice than the most prestigious option.
8. Treat setbacks as opportunities to persist — A rejection may not be the end of the path; asking again or finding another route can open new possibilities.
9. Be vulnerable and human — Appropriate personal openness can help others feel understood and make leadership messages more relatable.
10. Take it day by day — Focus on the next manageable step instead of letting distant goals overwhelm you.

00:00:00 — Introduction and Deanna Franks’s Air Force Academy legacy
00:04:32 — Preparing for the Academy and facing admission challenges
00:08:59 — Persisting after rejection and finding an opportunity through swimming
00:13:49 — Building connections and bringing a team-first mindset to leadership
00:15:12 — Pilot training and discovering the right fit in C-130 aviation
00:20:30 — Mentoring pilots and keeping career options open
00:22:40 — Balancing military service, family, and a transition to the Reserves
00:27:47 — Pentagon networking and leading at the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center
00:32:09 — Returning to the Academy as an AOC and building a support network
00:35:12 — Supporting cadets through difficult moments with empathy and vulnerability
00:42:40 — Mentorship, near-peer guidance, and reverse mentoring
00:48:47 — Retirement, life after service, and continued community involvement
00:54:38 — Final reflections and episode close

Col. (Ret.) DeAnna Franks ’99 served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve as a C-130 pilot, commander and senior leader. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, she began her flying career during the demanding operational years following 9/11, supporting missions across the Middle East. Her career included command assignments, service at the Pentagon and leadership positions at the Academy. Among her assignments, she served as an Air Officer Commanding at USAFA, commanded the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center and led the 302nd Operations Group in Colorado. She retired from military service in 2025.

Throughout her career, Col. Franks developed a deep commitment to mentorship and the development of future leaders. Influenced by her father’s Air Force service, the coaches and commanders who invested in her potential, and her experiences balancing military leadership with motherhood, she came to view leadership as an opportunity to recognize, encourage and develop others. A passionate advocate for near-peer mentorship, Col. Franks believes meaningful leadership relationships are built on trust, listening and shared experience. Her approach reflects a conviction that one of a leader’s most lasting contributions is the success of the people they inspire and mentor.