“The people you're trying to lead may become your greatest teacher.”

Matthew Ayers ’99 believes leadership isn't about having all the answers. It’s about listening, learning and serving with joy.

Hear how experiences at the U.S. Air Force Academy, on a U.N. peacekeeping mission and leading Dream Centers of Colorado Springs transformed his understanding of leadership.

1. Leadership Begins with Ordinary Acts

Ayers’ grandfather didn’t set out to do extraordinary things — he simply noticed people, asked questions and invited them in. Great leadership often begins with small acts of compassion that have lifelong impact.

2. Lead with Joy

One of Ayers’ grandfather’s defining characteristics was his joy. Even in difficult circumstances, he demonstrated that joy isn’t the absence of hardship — it’s a choice that gives others hope and the courage to move forward.

3. Stay Curious About People

Ayers learned that leadership starts by genuinely wanting to know people and understand their stories. Curiosity builds trust, broadens perspective and opens the door to meaningful relationships.

4. Integrity Is Lived, Not Signed

His experience during a United Nations peacekeeping mission revealed that values aren’t proven by an oath — they’re revealed in everyday decisions. Leadership requires the courage to live your principles, even when circumstances become complicated.

5. Influence Doesn't Require Authority

Serving alongside people outside his chain of command taught Ayers that leadership often happens through relationships rather than rank. Quiet, consistent influence can move an organization — and a mission — forward one conversation at a time.

6. Presence Is Sometimes the Greatest Gift

Whether comforting cadets during tragedy or supporting people in crisis, Ayers discovered that leaders don’t always need the perfect words. Simply showing up and being present can have a lasting impact.

7. Listen Before You Lead

Ayers’ work reinforced that the people closest to the problem often hold the clearest vision for the solution. Leaders who listen deeply make better decisions because they’re willing to learn before they act.

8. Let Others Become Your Teachers

One of the most powerful themes of the episode is that leadership is not about always being the teacher. Ayers believes the people we serve — and the people we lead — often become our greatest teachers if we’re humble enough to learn from them.

9. Transformation Happens Through Action

Leadership isn’t mastered in a classroom alone. Ayers reminds us that principles become convictions only when we wrestle with them in real life, applying them through service, relationships and everyday decisions.

10. Leave People Better Than You Found Them

Looking back on his grandfather’s influence, Ayers’ own leadership philosophy comes into focus: Serve others with humility, model joy, remain teachable and help people flourish. The greatest legacy a leader leaves is the positive impact they have on the lives of others.

00:00:00 – Opening: Sometimes the Greatest Teachers Aren't the Ones We Expect
00:00:53 – Meet Matthew Ayers, USAFA Class of 1999
00:01:38 – The Story That Changed Everything: Grandpa, Joy & Two Strangers
00:08:47 – Justice Begins at Home: Lessons Passed from One Generation to the Next
00:15:12 – Ethiopia: When Integrity Is Tested in the Real World
00:24:31 – The Difference Between Signing an Oath and Living It
00:31:26 – The Child Who Became the Teacher
00:39:08 – Why Great Leaders Never Stop Being Students
00:45:51 – Leading Through Joy, Compassion & Presence
00:52:37 – Leadership in Practice: Listening Before Leading
00:58:44 – Matthew's Leadership Philosophy
01:03:28 – Advice to His Younger Self
01:06:14 – Final Reflections: Leave People Better Than You Found Them

Matthew Ayers, U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1999, is the founder and CEO of Dream Centers, a Colorado Springs nonprofit dedicated to serving women, children and families through comprehensive health care, behavioral health services and transformational housing. Before founding Dream Centers in 2011, Ayers served as an Air Force officer, managed air and space programs, taught at USAFA, and deployed as an unarmed military observer with the United Nations mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

A passionate student of leadership, theology and community development, Ayers believes the most meaningful leadership begins with humility, service and a willingness to learn from others. Through his work and volunteer service, he continues to champion innovative approaches that strengthen families, empower communities and create lasting change. Ayers lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Amber, and their two children, Zeke and Halle Joy.