I’ve worked for Leonardo since 2012, gaining opportunities to change roles and grow my responsibilities over the time. When the company started offering the Navigator programme, I saw it as an opportunity to give me a bit of help with becoming a new father, and to give me the best possible base to support my wife and family.
What the programme really helped me recognise is that problems are always better shared, that help is available and that we have a great breadth of wonderful people working at Leonardo. This has resulted in me developing a wider network of colleagues across Leonardo, and an increased sense of purpose in my day-to-day role.
Outside of work, I have pursued additional learning in mindfulness, taken on increased responsibility at home and beyond, and have successfully changed career to focus on strategy. This has been a true blessing, gaining exposure to another country and culture – Italy – and a whole host of new challenges, characters and opportunities to learn and grow.
Participating in the navigator programme is not a singular pursuit; it’s about being part of a cohort. With this in mind, life is full of ups and downs, and being prepared is a big part of dealing with this. Many of us are incredibly fortunate to be immersed in a wealth of truly wonderful people, who are either looking for help themselves, or are more than willing to help someone. I say make the most of both of these! No person is an island, and being part of something larger and sharing issues, hopes, dreams and aspirations with like-minded people is both cathartic and rewarding.
Being able to help other people is both rewarding and infectious. I took up mentoring after my Navigator experience, and I am now mentor to three wonderful individuals around the wider Leonardo organisation. I also have two mentors myself, both of whom are absolutely fantastic.
