John Flynn has had many roles all through his life – together with as a soccer participant, serviceman within the Air Power, adviser to then Vice-President Joe Biden as part of the Obama Administration, and he presently is the senior vp of administration and aviation for MGM Resorts Worldwide. Whatever the place he has held or the folks he has labored with in these positions, there are two widespread traits – service and management.
Flynn stated about MGM Resorts International Aviation Division, “I’ve received a few totally different departments I get to guide and handle. We’ve received a number of planes and a pair dozen pilots.” He additionally works with the Safety Operations Division and their Navy and Veterans Program (MVP) with different navy members. In whole, Flynn works with over 2,000 folks in his a number of roles within the company world. That may seem like very totally different in comparison with his navy profession, however he discovered that the 2 fields have extra in widespread than one might imagine.
“Among the issues we discovered within the navy are what we worth within the personal sector. I feel a few these issues are you study to be versatile, proactive, how you can reprioritize totally different targets such as you would with the navy, and also you fail so much. Nevertheless it’s not a matter of failing. It’s a matter of whether or not you get again up.”
John Flynn’s dedication to management and the betterment of others may be traced again to his childhood. Flynn was the youngest of two kids rising up in Irvine, California. Sports activities was an enormous a part of his life due to being round groups such because the California Angels (MLB), Los Angeles Rams (NFL), and others. He wasn’t only a fan of these sports activities, however he performed them as properly.
“I grew up taking part in baseball, soccer, and basketball, whether or not it was in my college or in Irvine.”
Soccer was the game that Flynn succeeded on the most. He began as quarterback for Mater Dei Excessive Faculty for 3 years, and so they completed because the primary workforce within the nation. That led him to pursuing alternatives to play for Vanderbilt or the US Air Power Academy. He felt that prime college was an essential time for him as a result of a number of the classes he discovered on the sector could possibly be utilized off the sector.
“It’s the place I first discovered how you can efficiently get well from failure on a play-by-play foundation,” he stated with amusing. “It was lesson for all times.”
He was in a position to study different classes from people who served as mentors equivalent to his mother and father, coaches, and academics throughout his childhood as properly.
“You don’t totally respect these mentors till you’ve sort of moved away, grown up, matured extra in life.”
As he was ending highschool, Flynn had thought he was going to go to Vanderbilt, however a change within the head coach place there shifted his sights to the Air Power Academy. One journey to Colorado Springs, Colorado later, and he knew the place he was going. In hindsight the selection is smart for him as a result of he grew up in an space the place it was widespread to see Marines and Members of the Navy. His father served
within the Marines and his grandfather was within the Navy throughout World Warfare II. Although he was becoming a member of a distinct department, the navy might have been future within the making.
“The concept of flying planes, graduate, and principally go do no matter you needed to do this the navy gives had been definitely interesting to me.”
He can be a backup quarterback in his soccer function, however he received to take pleasure in a number of moments along with his teammates and discovered invaluable classes on the faculty stage as properly. He additionally labored as a coach on the again half of his senior season. He remembered that 12 months fondly as a result of his workforce completed within the prime ten in rating within the nation.
“For a service academy soccer workforce to complete within the prime ten within the nationwide rankings, it was a fairly large deal.”
As soon as his faculty profession ended, he dedicated to the Air Power full-time, the place he amassed greater than 3,100 hours as a C-17 Evaluator Pilot. A part of his profession was spent in Afghanistan in addition to in Baghdad, Iraq and different areas. He was proud to be part of that effort, however he acknowledged that missions of the magnitude he was concerned with took the assist of a variety of teammates and fellow servicemembers.
“Combating within the early days of the Warfare on Terror within the mid-2000’s was fairly unimaginable. Being within the navy and pulling off these profitable missions required working with lots of people.”
Moreover working beneath nice leaders and as part of management in each sports activities and the navy, one other widespread theme is being bodily prepared always. That’s why health has been an essential a part of his life, and it nonetheless is in the present day.
“As soon as once more, there’s much more similarities than variations,” stated Flynn on the subject of health stage for each fields. “Usually, I feel staying match, maintaining your cardio going, maintaining your muscle tone going is essential. Typically, it’s a must to carry 150 kilos in your again on these missions, and it’s a must to be in fairly unimaginable form to do this.”
John Flynn would transfer on to work in Washington, D.C., the place he labored for the Division of Protection as a Legislative Fellow beneath Senator Invoice Nelson, on the Pentagon, and in the end can be concerned with the final word type of management – a Presidential administration. Flynn served as a Particular Assistant to the forty fourth President of the US, Barack Obama and as an adviser to then Vice President Joe Biden. After flying for ten years, that change in dynamics could possibly be a shock for most individuals at first, however Flynn adjusted and located yet one more solution to contribute to his nation.
“It was actually academic and insightful after being on the tip of the spear to be on the tail finish of coverage after which the orders come down and also you comply with, operationally, these orders,” he recalled. “That was extremely academic for me.”
Following his time in Washington, he moved on to the place he holds now with MGM Resorts. He’s nonetheless concerned with the Air Power as a reserve assigned to AFWERX. He additionally commits time to staying in form as a result of it’s a variable that enables him to be his greatest for everybody round him in addition to himself.
“You can also make clear choices, you may make higher choices, and be extra assured in what you’re doing,”
John Flynn desires to ensure the subsequent technology of People are conscious and positively impacted by the navy as properly. He took his son to a Veteran’s Day occasion referred to as Salute to the Troops that paid homage that had been prepared to present their all to freedom.
“Crucial this subsequent technology sees us celebrating service members,” he stated.
Although he’s within the personal sector now, he feels the navy can nonetheless be a fantastic possibility for younger people who need to set themselves up for excellent success sooner or later. He advises to have a look at all choices rigorously earlier than making a remaining resolution.
“It’s a extremely thrilling time to be a 17 or 18-year previous graduating from highschool as a result of there may be a lot for you on the market that may assist you obtain your targets,” he defined. “Do your analysis, and you ought to be wanting into firms and the navy, and even schools or universities to search out the most effective choices for them.
You may study extra about Col. Flynn by following him at John S. Flynn on LinkedIn
