NAVAIR Leaders Program Graduates 16

­­The first class of employees graduated from the new Naval Air Systems Command Foundational Leadership Development Program, part of the command’s Leader Development Continuum that supports the continuous personal and professional growth and development of its workforce.

The program, which is administered by the NAVAIR Career Planning and Development Division, a part of the Human Capital Management Department, focuses on the Executive Core Qualification competencies of the “Lead Self” level of the Department of Defense instruction “Growing Civilian Leaders.” The ECQs are required for entry to the senior executive service and are used by many departments and agencies in selection, performance management and leadership development for management and executive positions. The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential.

Rae Anne Tran, who works in logistics for Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in Point Mugu, CA, was one of the 16 graduates from the program.

Tran said she applied to the program to develop her leadership and mentoring skills.

“I have had several opportunities to ‘sharpen the saw’ at NAWCWD,” she said. “Each opportunity has re-energized my enthusiasm about building better teams and tackling challenges within my programs.”

Tran believed taking the FLDP’s courses would help her adapt and be flexible when mentoring from afar. “I am currently working with a Mechanicsburg intern while on maximum telework,” she said. “Good leaders can build trust through good communication. A proficient leader can still support their team’s personal and professional goals through regular phone and email correspondence.”

FLDP graduate Francesca Taylor, a 4 Disciplines of Execution coach at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast in Jacksonville, FL, said the program was a way to reach those within NAVAIR who don’t have easy access to developmental training.

“The reason I like the FLDP training is because it is through LinkedIn Learning, and we all have licenses for that as NAVAIR employees,” she explained. “This online training is available at any time and reaches that population of employees who have limited access to developmental training, like those at our facility who do depot D-level maintenance on aircraft during the day and don’t sit at computers.”

The program helps supervisors identify their employee’s leadership development needs using the results of an assessment that can be used to create the employee’s Individual Development Plan (IDP). Employees access the program through the virtual LinkedIn Learning platform consisting of 32 classes with 20 hours of content. Employees then collaborate with their supervisors to apply those skills in the workplace.

According to Tatonya Holman, FLDP program administrator, “The program allows employees who have been at NAVAIR five years or less to concentrate on their leadership skills,” she said. “It is also a great refresher program for all employees who need to enhance some of their leadership skills.”

This article was provided by NAVAIR News.