Classroom Confusion Inspires Career Clarity

Classroom Confusion Inspires Career Clarity

By ANNA TAYLOR • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

Earlier this year, a serendipitous mistake landed Shawana Napier in the wrong room but ultimately, the right class. The Learning Organizations (LO) 101 workshop was relocated without her knowledge and she sat through part of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Program Principles for Senior Managers course before realizing the rooms had been swapped. Since she’d already spent half of the day there, Robert Fogel, Production Resources Department Manager, invited Napier to stay and participate.

"They invest a lot of time and money in apprentices and we have high expectations set for us. So to uphold that standard is a blessing."

shawana napier

SHIPYARD SPOTLIGHT

16 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • AUGUST 2015

"A supervisor will never know what her team is capable of doing until she gives them the responsibility and believes in them to complete the task."

“I was initially scheduled to attend the LO 101 Workshop, but it was a blessing that I ended up in the NAVSEA class,” said Napier.

“I gained so much from this two-day course. I now view my position as a mechanic with a whole different perspective.”

Napier, a third-year apprentice in the Paint/Blast Shop (Shop 71) who does mental health counseling after hours in her free time, came to Norfolk Naval Shipyard in search of a long-term career. “I was tired of dead-end jobs,” she said. “I didn’t really know anything about the shipyard and I’d never done any industrial work, but I knew it paid well.”

10

quick facts

ABOUT SHAWANA

1. My favorite color is purple.

2. I’m a Taurus.

3. My favorite movie is either City Of God or Shottas.

4. My favorite book is The Coldest Winter Ever. I’ve read it three times.

5. The Cheesecake Factory is my favorite place to eat.

6. I have a pet Yorkie.

7. I hate washing dishes.

8. I love the smell of strawberries.

9. Food is my guilty pleasure.

10. Spring is my favorite season because the weather is perfect and the trees are beautiful.

Napier is outgoing and approachable, two characteristics that drive her individual development goals at NNSY. She hopes to make a smooth transition into safety-related work once she graduates from the apprentice program. “I’m a people person. I like to be out and about, I like to see people and talk to people, so I’d like to end up working in safety,” she said. “I’m doing things now in my apprenticeship that will help me get there. I’m part of the safety committee for my shop, so we go to a meeting once a month and I bring back what I learned.

We do a lot of different workshops, activities, and surveillances. Safety is always my number one goal.”

Already a natural leader, Napier said the NAVSEA course motivated her to take on more responsibility within her position.

"I like to lead by example, so instead of acting as a mechanic, I take on a work leader’s attitude to bring people together to make sure everyone stays on point,” she said. “It’s not just about upper management. It’s the mechanics who make or break everything.”

The NAVSEA course, built on Admiral Hyman Rickover’s principles for leadership in a nuclear Navy, fostered honest dialogue centered on what it means to do the type of nuclear work we do at NNSY, a discussion that applies indirectly to Napier but still impacts her daily attitude. “Knowing the role of my superiors helps me to be a better mechanic and will help me to be a better supervisor,” she said. “When I become a leader, it's not about me anymore, it's about my people. Supervisors have to set expectations and build their team up while holding them accountable.”

There is no substitute for hard work, and part of being a supervisor is setting a good example. “A supervisor will never know what her team is capable of doing until she gives them the responsibility and believes in them to complete the task,” Napier added. “A mechanic’s responsibility is to understand the job, and everyone needs to know their role.

It takes the whole team to complete the work.”

Attending a class intended for senior managers may have been a happy accident for Napier, but her willingness to contribute to the discussion and the subsequent change in her mentality are indicative of the shipyard’s increased focus on training, education, personal support, and a dedication to excellence. Under the Command Philosophy of Shipyard Commander, Captain Scott Brown, NNSY is investing more than ever to execute the fundamental programs that ensure the development of a strong workforce, something Napier observed firsthand.

“We are the shipyard,” Napier said. “I hear that a lot, ‘you’re the shipyard, you’re the future leaders.’ They invest a lot of time and money in apprentices and we have high expectations set for us.

So to uphold that standard is a blessing. It’s appreciated.”

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