Photo By Shelby West | Norfolk Naval Shipyard's Code 100PI Megan Hanni and Code 2340 Ryan Garvin will be...... read more read more
One of the priorities across the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) corporation is people development, providing opportunities for employees to gain the experience and learning to better themselves as they work to service the Navy’s fleet. One program established to aid in that development is the Journey Level Leadership (JLL) program, a one-year initiative for high performing civilian employees who have demonstrated progressive leadership experience and seek to expand their horizons. This annual program brings in employees from across the enterprise to grow in their careers – with two representing Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) ready to jump into action.
Code 100PI Megan Hanni and Code 2340 Ryan Garvin both learned about the opportunity from fellow shipyarders. For Hanni, it was her supervisor who reached out, feeling it was a good opportunity and wanted his team members to look into the program for their development. For Garvin, he spoke with a previous participant in the program from his department who had insight on what he could learn. With their interest piqued, they began the application process – and were recently named NNSY’s representatives for the 2022-2023 group.
The JLL program participants take on a yearlong journey with opportunities in classroom instruction, networking, team building, an experiential 90-day rotation, and a capstone project pursuing an issue that aligns with the NAVSEA Campaign Plan. The program uses mentoring, professional assessments, and personalized feedback to maximize its impact.
“I’m so excited to be able to meet with the NAVSEA leaders and gain their perspective of leadership,” said Hanni. “I’m at the phase in my career where I want to seek out leadership and this program will provide a great avenue to witness firsthand how leadership within the enterprise handles their day-to-day in order to meet the mission.”
“I’ve gotten supervisory experience on the waterfront; however, I don’t have that same experience you’d expect from someone who is a branch head at the shipyard,” said Garvin. “I’m good at coordination, mentorship, and developing my people. However, any other aspect of leadership philosophy, I lack that experience. Therefore, this program will give me those opportunities to grow in a way I haven’t been able to previously. At the shipyard, we tend to be in our own bubbles, focused on our day-to-day without being able to see the big picture. With the JLL, we get to step out of our comfort zones and venture across the corporation, seeing different attitudes of leadership and the driving for change.”
The first orientation week is set to begin in October and already Hanni and Garvin are looking towards the future. The three-month rotational assignments are set up that participants can conduct their rotation anywhere within the corporation outside of their core office – broadening their horizons and providing them a chance to work in areas of interest they haven’t had opportunities to experience previously. The two have already been looking towards possibilities for their rotation, stepping outside their comfort zone to find which avenues would best fit their career path. They are also excited for the capstone project, a collateral duty to work on remotely with their teams across approximately three months of the program that they develop and present at the end of their participation – with opportunities to further implement that capstone project following their return to service at the shipyard.
The program is set to strengthen and develop the personal leadership abilities of the participant in project management, problem and conflict resolution, team building, time management, and virtual communication skills. For Hanni and Garvin, it’s more than just building their own skillsets – it’s about what they can bring back to the shipyard as a whole.
“We’ve found that there’s room for improvement when it comes to leadership development and developing our people in general,” said Garvin. “We’ve gotten very good at all our technical training; however, when it comes to providing those opportunities for development overall, there’s much we could do better. If you develop your people, it encourages them to invest in the programs they are in and shows them that you want them to be better and are willing to support them in that growth.”
He continued, “In order to be an effective organization and deliver the ships to the fleet, we have to have the people in place ready to support. And we have to give those people the perspectives of why we do what we do, why they are important to the overall mission, what they can do to better themselves as individuals so they can succeed in their careers. There is a lot of knowledge at the top of the mountain. I want to help bring that knowledge down to those on the deckplates and make it accessible to all, providing them with the tools to continuously improve themselves.”
As the pair prepare for their journey in the JLL, they hope they can inspire others to take on similar opportunities in the future.
“Go ahead and apply for whatever opportunity comes your way,” said Hanni. “Even if it ends up being a no, it helps open up new doors for your future.”
Garvin added, “Step outside your comfort zone and advocate for yourself. When others see you getting your name out there and expressing interest for improvement or career development, you’re going to be the first person they think of when new opportunities arise. No one is going to advocate for you harder than you can for yourself. Keep your resume up to date, jump at the chance to improve at every turn.”
To learn more about the JLL program and to stay up-to-date with future announcements for application, please visit https://flankspeed.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/NAVSEA_JLL.
| Date Taken: | 10.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2022 08:20 |
| Story ID: | 431185 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 162 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NNSY’s New Journey Level Leadership Participants Ready for Action, by Kristi R Britt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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