Courtesy Photo | Leadership from Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS),...... read more read more
Since 2006, Navy Supply Corps lieutenants and lieutenant commanders have competed for fellowships within some of the top corporations in the nation. Officers selected for the 12-month Training with Industry (TWI) program are exposed to executive-level decision making and industry best practices expanding their professional supply chain and logistics education while exploring ideas on innovation.
Officers selected for 2021 TWI fellowships are currently completing their tours with private companies. Among them is Supply Corps Officer Lt. Cmdr. Carlisle Pennycooke who has spent the last year at FedEx headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
The competition for these coveted TWI assignments is stiff. Of approximately 150 officers eligible for the program in 2021, only four were selected.
“I would like to express my appreciation to the Supply Corps for such an incredible opportunity, and the confidence they have placed in me to represent our community at FedEx via the TWI program,” said Pennycooke. “This is an opportunity I’ve wanted since I was enrolled at the Supply Corps School.”
“It’s performance, performance, performance. These are high-performing individuals and obviously, that’s what the board is looking for when selecting people to send to TWI,” said John Soracco, NAVSUP WSS Chief Logistician for Aviation. “In these fellow programs, they are the Navy’s face with the C-suites of these Fortune 500 companies. You want to send talent to represent the Navy and they also need to be self-driven to go find those best practices to bring back to the fleet.”
The lieutenant commander realizes the opportunity to “peek behind the curtain of a Fortune 500 company while on active duty and communicate directly with C-Suite leadership and learn industry best practices,” is not an opportunity you get every day.
“You are afforded the chance to grow by watching from a front row seat and observing leadership in action in the areas of team building, change management, critical decision making, emotional intelligence, and empathy among others,” said Pennycooke. “This has truly been a wonderful learning experience which has improved my thought process and leadership skills.”
As Pennycooke was nearing the end of his experience at Fed Ex, he hosted a leadership team from NAVSUP WSS that included Soracco and Capt. Matt Bolls, NAVSUP WSS Director, Aviation Operations. During the visit, the leadership team got a first-hand look at what Pennycooke accomplished during his tour.
“We are learning how FedEx, as a global company, goes after talent management, the health of their freighter fleet and what metrics they use to affect the health of their fleet,” said Soracco. “We’re seeing how they approach similar issues we face every day at NAVSUP WSS and getting a fresh perspective because sometimes we can get caught up in our own culture.”
One area of particular interest to NAVSUP WSS is how FedEx manages aircraft reliability.
“[Pennycooke] was interacting with the FedEx’s Airplane Health Management Group where he went into different areas like the Aircraft Reliability Team, the Component Reliability Team, the Supply Chain Logistics Group, planning and order management … all the things we do every day at NAVSUP WSS Philly,” said Soracco. “He was embedded with those teams, learning how FedEx approaches the same problems we face in our fleet.”
Throughout the yearlong assignment, Pennycooke worked closely with Soracco, Bolls and the rest of the NAVSUP WSS aviation operations team to share information.
“This project will positively impact the Naval Aviation Enterprise and Naval Sustainment System-Supply’s effort in creating a culture of continuous improvement by making permanent changes in modernization, maintenance, manning, and training to ultimately achieve lasting increases in readiness,” said Pennycooke. “Specific areas researched were managing reliability, supplier management, maintenance practices, and transportation and distribution.”
Upon completion of their TWI tours, officers are assigned to the Supply Corps’ most challenging assignments. Pennycooke is headed to Headquarters, Defense Logistics Agency. While Soracco sees the tremendous opportunity afforded Supply Corps officers and the Navy at large through TWI, some adjustments could make the program even better.
“I think there should be a sponsor assigned within NAVSUP to provide specific objectives during the participant’s time with TWI. This ties directly to our efforts with NSS-Supply and Aviation and this is a great opportunity while we focus on Getting Real and Getting Better,” said Soracco. “Since we are paying for this fellow for a year, we should really hone in on objectives we want them to come away with to get our return on investment.”
In addition to taking industry best practices back to the fleet, Pennycooke says he’ll return with enhanced leadership skills, knowledge of different operating systems and tools and a focus on investing in Sailors.
“We need to continue to find ways to value our Sailors,” said the lieutenant commander. “Almost all managers and above at FedEx have been with the company for 30 plus years and the overall reason why they remain on the job is a direct reflection on FedEx’s value system. They all feel valued, and they expressed that FedEx invested in them early in their careers. I want that same enthusiasm within the Navy.”
Candidates for the 2021 TWI programs were selected by a Flag-led selection board in the spring of 2020. In addition to FedEx, other TWI sites included Starbucks Coffee Company (Seattle, Washington); The Home Depot (Atlanta, Georgia); and ExxonMobil (Houston, Texas).
NAVSUP WSS is one of 11 commands under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor and family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsupwss, and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2022 08:55 |
| Story ID: | 423586 |
| Location: | PHILADELPHIA, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 722 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVSUP WSS, Navy benefit from TWI program, by Brian Jones, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT