SPARROW Founder's Unique Career Offers Lessons in Mindful Mentoring

Jan. 24, 2024

Successful leaders can often point to a few individuals who've made a profound difference in their careers, and SPARROW Executive Jets Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jacquie Dalton is no exception. When reflecting on a unique career path that took her from the racetrack to the runway, she can easily identify key people who changed the course of her life at different stages of her journey.

Although those influencers may not call themselves mentors, that's the role they play, according to Tom Martin, founder of the Martin Center for Mentorship and Communication at the College of Charleston. “Our belief at the Martin Center is mentorship is key in developing thriving careers, not only in communication, but all areas of endeavor. Jacquie Dalton's life experience is true testimony for that belief,” said Martin.

Dalton recently sat down with Martin for an episode of his Mindful Mentoring podcast to discuss the importance of mentoring relationships in her life and how they helped lead her to her current role as an aviation company founder and president. She also offered insights to listeners on how to approach the roles of mentor and mentee more effectively. Listen to the podcast now.

Mentors Who Made a Difference

Dalton’s journey to becoming an aviation executive was not a traditional one. Her fascinating career began in thoroughbred horse racing and included stints in marketing, charity work, and racehorse breeding, before she found success in private aviation.

She credits mentors for helping her along this unusual path, which culminated in founding her own executive jet charter company, SPARROW Executive Jets, in 2020.

For example, when Dalton, as a 17-year-old high school dropout, was first drawn to a jockey career, New Jersey horse trainer John Forbes and his assistant Pat McBurney first gave her the opportunity and support to train and compete. She describes their mentorship as essential to providing the support she needed to become one of the country’s first female thoroughbred jockeys in a male-dominated field.

“I really didn’t have any experience that would give them any reason to think that I could be a jockey other than being short and having the desire to do so, but I worked really hard. I did everything I could to show that I had a drive to do something with my life and earn the opportunities to work and do more,” she said during the podcast interview.

“I just felt that if I showed I was willing to work hard, I could earn my way. And I did and I was fortunate…. [But] no matter how driven I was, if Pat, in particular, wasn't willing to reward me for that effort, and take me on, I would not have had the opportunity to grow the way that I did.”

Other supporters provided encouragement and opportunities when Dalton left racing to pursue her GED at community college and her studies at Northwestern University, where she graduated magna cum laude, as well as when she first got into the aviation business.

“I feel fortunate that I wound up in aviation, because it's very similar to the racing world. I always say that selling charter and running charter flights is the closest I could ever get to riding racehorses, so it's a very good fit for me. I was doing aircraft acquisitions and refurbs, and fulfilling these flights, and really learning ‘boots on the ground’ how to do what I was doing,” she said.

“My mentor wound up being a gentleman named Rick Kay…. He was appreciative of flying privately, and he had high expectations. He really taught me to be of service to somebody at a level so far beyond where I was at in my own life, and it's one of the things that I most enjoy about jet charter,” she continued.

“I think of all of my clients as mentors to me. They're all quite successful, and it's really a privilege to learn from them and support their flying and be a be a part of their company growth.”

Helpful Tips for Mentors and Mentees

Dalton believes that one of her strengths is having a passion for helping other people grow and be successful. She continually pushes herself to learn and share what she’s learning with others. Mentoring others is a way for her to accomplish this and give back to the next generation of young professionals.

On the podcast with Martin, she shared several insights for mentors and mentees alike on how to engage in successful mentorship.

For example, for those taking on a new mentee, she recommends making sure you are willing and able to serve in a good capacity to your mentee, and vice versa. “It should always be something that’s fulfilling and rewarding, and not draining,” Dalton said.

She advises young professionals looking for a mentor to be persistent and work hard. “Really prove and show how much you want to learn,” she said, noting that when she was younger, “I didn’t really understand how much of a value it was. I was always appreciative, but I didn’t realize the amount of responsibility that sat with my mentors at the time, and what a gift it was that they were giving me.”

Listen to the Full Podcast

For more of Dalton’s insights on mentoring, and to hear more about her career journey, listen to the full podcast: Episode Three of Mindful Mentoring With Tom Martin.

As an outgrowth of the Martin Center for Mentorship in Communication, the Mindful Mentoring podcast explores the science of mentorship with successful leaders, business executives, students and others to learn how mentoring shaped, or is shaping, their personal and professional lives.