PEARL HARBOR - Sailor 360 is the Navy’s newest leadership training program designed to enrich the professional development of its enlisted force and officer corps.

Over the past six months, U.S. Pacific Fleet staff implemented the program and offered training sessions twice a week from January to June for staff members. During training sessions, Sailors participated in physical training, guest speaker presentations and various group discussions, including topics like leadership, problem solving and creativity.

“The Navy wants Sailors that are professionally competent and men and women of character,” said Chief Culinary Specialist Patrick Parigi, one of the lead coordinators for the Pacific Fleet program. “Developing a Sailor to make good decisions with integrity is going to help make our Navy stronger.”

Modeled after the CPO 365 phase I program, Sailor 360 brought new and important changes to how the Navy develops junior leaders through command training.

The new curriculum was developed from “Laying the Keel: Developing the backbone of our Navy,” which focuses on seven leadership-training fundamentals: alignment, habits, training, education, opportunity, feedback and self-awareness.

Sailor 360 gives leaders the flexibility to tailor existing source material to fit their needs. The program allows Sailors of all ranks to speak candidly to improve professional and personal cooperation. This allows all to see things from each other’s unique perspective and be more understanding of the decision making process.

“I enjoyed the direct talks with leadership,” said Yeoman First Class Pedro Tolentin, a program participant. “Getting the training directly from leadership was great.”

The U.S. Pacific Fleet’s program included a variety of guest speakers who spoke on the seven leadership-training fundamentals.

Rear Adm. Matthew Carter, Deputy Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, spoke to Sailors June 13, highlighting the importance of leadership, and what he’s learned during his three-decade Navy career.

“As I look back on 34 years, one of the biggest things I've enjoyed is the ability to lead, mentor and interact with Sailors,” said Carter. “I don't say that lightly, that's from the heart.”

Carter said that as Sailors become more capable and trained, leadership and responsibility are passed down. He added that even if a Sailor is the junior person in the room, sometime soon that Sailor will have to take ownership and lead the newest reporting Sailors. Sailor 360 helps mold them into the leaders the Navy needs, he said.

Even though Sailor 360 is a relatively new initiative, programs that came before Sailor 360 help set the groundwork for it.

“At first I was skeptical, and I was not onboard with the program; I was wrong,” said Tolentin. “As a newly established program, it felt as if it had been running for years. The program was great and is making me a better leader.”

Sailor 360 helps all Sailors in their professional and personal life form a stronger Navy, but at its core, it is developing Sailors to be better people.