LEESBURG, Va. - The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Leadership Mess Symposium concluded May 26, marking the end to the mass gathering of more than 100 master chief petty officers from around the fleet. Several leadership experts from civilian industry spoke at the event, centered around the core principles of authentic, competent and courageous leadership. "There's a great exchange of information going on here this week that really encompasses the entire Navy," said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Steven S. Giordano. "All the things we talked about kind of speak to those three things, Authentic, Competent, Courageous and how we can be more effective in that regard not just as leaders, but as Sailors for our Navy, for all our Sailors and their families." Prior MCPONs Bushey (7), Hagan (8), Herdt (9) and Scott(10) attended the symposium at the request of Giordano to give historical insight and offer mentorship and guidance to the current leadership mess. "It's been really great having them here and getting their perspective," Giordano said. "I asked the previous MCPONS to join us because there's a lot of historical value on why things are the way they are today, and you can't put a price on their perspective." During the week, the leadership mess received briefings and updates on various topics including updates on Sailor 2025, the latest information regarding enlisted leadership development and CPO 365, and various other items. "One of the purposes of this symposium is to lean forward and see what we can get at as a group of enlisted leaders in our Navy," Giordano said. "I think this is one of the best and most productive symposiums we've had in a long time." The MCPON Leadership Mess is comprised of more than 100 Master Chief Petty officers representing the highest levels of enlisted leadership in the Navy. The annual symposium offers a chance to share best practices, exchange ideas, offer feedback to leadership and forge new paths ahead for enlisted force development.

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