How would you handle a situation if a soldier asked you to just get them barred because they don’t want to be promoted or go to the board?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 05:54:20 -0500

With the new promotion board reg coming in May where every Soldier goes when they hit their zones, our CSM is using now until then as freebies, pushing everyone through the board.

The issue we are having is Soldoers, even NCOs, just telling 1SG to go ahead and bar them because they do not want to go to the board.

How would you handle a situation if a Soldier asked you to just get them barred because they don’t want to be promoted or goto the board?

Response by SGT Eric Davis made Feb 15 at 2018 6:26 AM

SGT Eric Davis — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 06:26:14 -0500

I feelif a soldier don’t think they are ready then they shouldn’t push them to promotion. A good leader knows when it’s when and where it’s their time and making someone get promoted or go to the board is kind of wrong but sometime you need a good push. I know when I got my SGT I wasn’t going to be ready for my SSG for a long time but I still tried to improve myself to be a better soldier and leader.

I wouldn’t bar the soldier cause they didn’t wanted to get promoted but I’ll help them to become a better leader when it’s their time!

Response by SGT Frank Pritchett made Feb 15 at 2018 7:57 AM

SGT Frank Pritchett — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 07:57:39 -0500

It is a Soldiers duty to excel, when they stop then they need to exit the Military when their time is up. I always did a counseling statement on it so that they Soldier knew what he was giving up and I had a record of it just in case the 1st Sergeant got a different opinion from the Soldier. It is often the sign of an unmotivated Soldier which is the NCO's problem for not accessing it.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 15 at 2018 9:45 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 09:45:04 -0500

You go ahead and bar them. The ALARACT doesn't state they will be barred, only that this is to be considered and SMs should be counseled that if they have no potential for future promotion, they may be barred and separated.
The issue is usually people misreading the message as saying that the SM should or will be barred. That's not the case.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Feb 15 at 2018 10:33 AM

SGM Bill Frazer — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 10:33:34 -0500

I don't know if you could bar them without paper to back it, and that's dangerous to serving out your term. Probably them could go to the board and announce that they did not wish to participate nor be promoted.

Response by MSG Charles Turner made Feb 15 at 2018 11:09 AM

MSG Charles Turner — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:09:20 -0500

I would NOT do it. That is not what the Bar is intended use is.
This soldier is in need of Counseling by his / first line supervisor (and very possibly Medical personnel). Although it may be normal not to want to be promoted. Although one can understand a soldier not wanting to stay in the military or advance, It is not usually "normal "to inform superiors of things of this nature. I am suspecting an "Underlying" issue (situation in the unit, situation with the individual, or possible emotional / medical issue).

That is just me "Gut" response. Hopefully it would be helpful.

Response by Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 15 at 2018 11:37 AM

Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:37:36 -0500

What does going to the board or the actual board do or entail that makes the soldiers have this attitude towards it?

Response by MAJ Bill Maynard made Feb 15 at 2018 3:51 PM

MAJ Bill Maynard — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:51:00 -0500

I will politely disagree with the other posters. I know everyone wants everyone to be gung-ho and push for promotions and performance. But that is not reality. The Army is a pyramid structure. Many lower enlisted Soldiers will do one term of service and then ETS. I am not familiar with the new board requirements, but this is nothing new. The best NCOs should be promoted first and then the vacancies are filled with who is below them. Why would anyone want to force a mediocre Soldier to advance in NCO rank? I don't see how that helps anyone.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 15 at 2018 6:59 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 18:59:31 -0500

In line with some of the other comments, I think some more discussion and counseling needs to be done before proceeding further. What is the soldiers reasoning for refusing promotion? Do they intend to ETS and don't want additional responsibility in a career that will be ending, or are they uncertain of their ability to perform?

The former makes your future choices easier, and I can understand the humility of the latter. However, in the case of a soldier who doesn't feel ready, I would investigate why and target professional growth in that area. I view it as our professional responsibility to grow and perform even when we are uncomfortable, as well as our responsibility as leaders to develop those around us.

If the situation boils down to an individual who seeks to do the bare minimum and nothing more, then I would document that and let their performance speak for itself at future boards and re-enlistments.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 15 at 2018 7:40 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 19:40:21 -0500

Bar them. You can do it for not being competitive in thier MOS. Counsel them and determine thier reason for not wanting to get promoted. Set up a recovery plan. Supervise and monitor thier progress with a progress counseling at least once a month. Make sure they know that failure to satisfy the removal terms of the bar result in a discharge. Keep your paperwork pristine, and make sure the recovery plan is documented, achievable, and reasonable. If they fail, they fail themselves.

Response by MSgt John McGowan made Feb 15 at 2018 7:52 PM

MSgt John McGowan — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 19:52:46 -0500

My question isn’t importort. A just want to know. Are the boards hard or rather easy if you are one that does good at boards? My had people a civilian work that had to take about a 2 day test for a promotion to one position. Guys that were smart failed this test because they did poorly on test. Now I didn’t do well on one part and was held back 6 months. But military test I normally was a cake walk. I tend to get nervous somewhat talking in a crowd during a test.

Response by MSG John Duchesneau made Feb 15 at 2018 9:25 PM

MSG John Duchesneau — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:25:53 -0500

If a soldier isn't motivate to be a leader - he or she will never be a leader. Give him or her the jobs which will remind them of why it sucks to be a junior enlisted soldier.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 16 at 2018 1:00 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 01:00:49 -0500

As leaders (NCOs), we should inform out troops about the importance of the board. No one in the Army was ever promoted when the Soldier was ready. If that were the case then no one would ever get promoted. The Army promotes on one's potential to serve at the next higher grade regardless of if the Soldier "feels" ready. You as a leader must make an honest assessment of the Soldier to determine if they possess the potential to serve at the next higher grade.

The reasoning for the new promotion guidance is that Commander's were using the system against the betterment of the Soldier's thus stalling the Soldier's career.

Regardless of whether you agree with the new policy or not, this new system promotes/encourages competitiveness across the NCO Corps. This competitiveness is well overdue, gone are the days of waiting for your handout, I mean promotion.

Response by PO3 William Carrien made Feb 16 at 2018 11:43 AM

PO3 William Carrien — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 11:43:33 -0500

I would like to know why he didn't want to go. If he told me a good enough reason, I would take it under consideration and do what I thought was not only good for the soldier, but what was good for the Army.
I was Navy, we have a different way of doing things. If a sailor didn't want advancement, I would just tell him to fail the test. And then I would also tell him, we didn't have this conversation.

Response by SFC Gary Galbraith made Feb 21 at 2018 9:39 PM

SFC Gary Galbraith — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 21:39:29 -0500

Counseling statements as well as bar to reenlistment

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 27 at 2018 8:02 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 20:02:49 -0500

Let them stay at their current rank for the remainder of this career. They wouldn't succeed at the new rank anyways, just be another person you would have to drag along. I would much prefer a motivated halfwit over a highly intelligent foot-dragger.