Blue Angels Commander speaks on mentorship program
IMPERIAL – United States Navy Blue Angels Commander Jon Fay encouraged members of the city of Imperial’s City Leadership Mentor Program to foster leadership Skills by remaining grateful even when times are difficult and by helping to “develop a team into a tribe.”
The City Leadership Mentor Program was developed by the city of Imperial to help up-andcoming professionals within the city to learn the leadership skills that areneeded to move forward in their respective careers.
Fay spoke to the professionals at Imperial’s City Hall on Thursday, February 2, speaking candidly about his own leadership journey, including how failing to promote ranks gave him the motivation to better himself.
“We want to foster professional municipal leaders who have the skills necessary to lead our city into the future,” Imperial Assistant City Manager Alexis Brown said.
“I was at about year 15 in my career, and there was a 50% promotion rate,” Fay said. “I was left behind … I could have been angry but I thought, ‘ The Navy has been good to me.’”
Fay said instead of being angry with the Navy for not promoting him, he said he looked inwards to try to figure out what he could do to better his performance so he could be more promotable.
Fay said eventually he joined his own mentorship program through the Navy that helped give him the support and guidance needed to get where he is today.
Participants listen closely and ask many questions at the end of Fay’s presentation, which mostly focused on Fay’s belief in developing a team into a tribe.
To develop this tribe, Fay said it was important to “share scars” by giving teams the chance to discuss whatever activity, whether it’s flying a jet or holding a Market Days event, and share their experiences together.
Fay found that these discussions did not lead to people calling one another out on their mistakes, instead they took ownership of their own mistakes and looked for ways to improve themselves.
This gave rise in the Imperial group to questions about how hierarchies work within the Blue Angels, with Fay explaining that while he is the commanding officer, he takes the time to listen to those under his command.
When asked how he connects to the younger members of the Blue Angels team, he said the most important thing was to show that he cared about those in his command.
“I don’t have to understand them to show I care about them…. As long as those who work under you know that you care about their well-being they will listen to you,” Fay said.