Posted on Aug 24, 2015
If the commander asked for feedback would you give it to him/her?
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Recently my commander released Staff Sergeant promotion results in a different manner than we normally do. Many airman near me were talking about how they disliked this new way. I myself had the same sentiments and for good cause. During the release, the commander asked us to let him know if we liked doing promotions this way. I took two days to type up a simple, yet respectful email explaining my opinion and giving three alternate solutions to achieve what he stated his goals were for his approach. The next week I was talking to another airman about this and he was adamant that I shouldn't have done that. When I asked why he response was "you just don't do that". My email was in no way disrespectful or full of complaining. I received a reply from my commander that stated "Understood. Thank you for your honest feedback." Would you have told the commander your opinion or would you have kept silent? Was I wrong to be honest?
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Commander
Evaluations Commander
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 121
Sometimes I give it without asking...
...but I'm not getting promoted again, am I.
...but I'm not getting promoted again, am I.
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SGM Steve Wettstein
CSM David Heidke - I did the same thing Dave. Sometimes the boss has to hear what they need to hear and not what they want to hear.
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TSgt Melissa Post As a former Company Commander, Battalion Commander, and Brigade Commander I always had an "open door policy" and I also freaking asked soldiers from the private all the way up to LTC for their feedback. I always encourage them to use the chain of command first to see if they can get their question or issue resolved, but I was always open for business to listen. Great leaders learn from their soldiers what exactly the climate and culture of their unit is through effective communications. Just because I would listen to someone's heartburn didn't mean I would go out and change everything right that minute, but it did afford me great insight to problems that I could address with the staff, the Chaplain, the Brigade Surgeon, the CSM, or the full-time civilian staff and make great decisions and changes based on analysis, experience, facts, and war gaming solutions. BLUF: (Bottom Line Up Front) If the Commander asks for feedback, I feel it is your duty to provide it. Just my personal beliefs and the way I did business!
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SFC Norman G. Mayers
I served under a few Command teams BDE CDR/CSM, BN CDR/CSM. CO CDR/1SG, PLT LDR/PLT SGT; and I will tell you that unfortunately some Command teams do not take feedback as a good thing, or use feedback to make changes in their leadership style, or correct toxic leadership; on the contrary they use it as an effective method to identify resistance within the ranks and destroy careers. I had am NCO who use the open door policy to address issues; chain of command translated it as bitching and complaining; he ended up publishing is opinion on the unit Facebook page. The result was retaliation against the NCO, UCMJ action and the destruction of his career. By the time senior leadership realize what was really going on and decided to get inolve, things got way out of hand and the command team lost the respect and trust of the entire organization. The truth is, not everyone was meant to be leaders or Commanders; but, that is another subject for discusion.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
SFC Norman G. Mayers Thanks for sharing your story. You are absolutely right there are some individuals that are in command positions or that have been in command positions that had no bsuiness being there and their Toxic Leadership style didn't help their organization's climate or culture and unfortunately it sometimes develops junior leaders (Officer and NCOs) in the wrong fashion as well.
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Col (Join to see)
This is an excellent conversation. As a commander, I may be different than other commanders. I completely agree with Col Mikel Burroughs thought processes. I mirror them myself. Not all commanders behave this way; I would hope that a great senior NCO could help those commanders. Feedback goes both ways. I should be able to suck it up and look at myself through my airmen's eyes if I get negative feedback from them. As individuals, none of us is perfect, but as a team we can get very close to perfect. I guess it is just a climate of trust that the commander and his senior NCOs need to foster. They need to be on point when talking to the troops and allow that climate of trust to flow all the way down in a unified front. As a prior enlisted Master Sergeant, I can honestly say I did not expect less of my commanders and I was not afraid to pull him or her aside and be frank. I did have some that didn't like it... but it was my job to do it. I hope they respected me for it.
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As enlisted, we are both the workers, the enforcers of policies, the interpreters of policy, and the advisers to our commanders.
How is a commander to know what the troops think without someone providing feedback?
Seriously. If the commander asks a question. Give an honest answer, TACTFULLY. Which it sounds like you did. Present the issues as you see them. Present solutions to the issues as you see them. Adequately explain your concerns.
Keep in mind that all of us our shaped by our experiences. Officers are not promoted in the same way as enlisted, therefore a modification to the promotion process affects us differently than it would them. They just don't know, and that ignorance, isn't "bad" it's just a hole in their knowledge. Once that knowledge gap has been corrected, they can adjust accordingly.
Now, the issue that your "peers" are likely expressing concern about is "unsolicited feedback" (which is generally not done, unless in a key billet like PSG, 1SG, CSM, etc) as compared to "solicited feedback" (which was asked for). They may not be separating the two concepts.
How is a commander to know what the troops think without someone providing feedback?
Seriously. If the commander asks a question. Give an honest answer, TACTFULLY. Which it sounds like you did. Present the issues as you see them. Present solutions to the issues as you see them. Adequately explain your concerns.
Keep in mind that all of us our shaped by our experiences. Officers are not promoted in the same way as enlisted, therefore a modification to the promotion process affects us differently than it would them. They just don't know, and that ignorance, isn't "bad" it's just a hole in their knowledge. Once that knowledge gap has been corrected, they can adjust accordingly.
Now, the issue that your "peers" are likely expressing concern about is "unsolicited feedback" (which is generally not done, unless in a key billet like PSG, 1SG, CSM, etc) as compared to "solicited feedback" (which was asked for). They may not be separating the two concepts.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
TSgt Melissa Post I try. It's a matter of "context" and the written word doesn't convey as well as the spoken so I tend to get a little more long winded than is strictly necessary, but the site is about sharing information.
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SFC (Join to see)
SFC Mark Merino-
You stole my thunder brother! I remember many a day waiting in the dayroom for the powers that be to give my comrades and me guidance. Everyone would complain about this and that and the barracks lawyers would interject. The next thing you know the First Sergeant would come in and after addressing us would ask if anyone had anything. low and behold there I was on an island by myself standing up and addressing said topics of discussion/concerns. Everyone else would not utter a word and I would end up looking like a trouble maker, complainer, and being smoked like know ones business!
It true Mark...I was on the SFC list for nearly two-years and wore it for eight-years and one-month before being medically retired after 20 years, 9 months, 6 days on active-duty.
Regardless, I am proud to be a Soldier for Life in our United States Army and do not regret a day of my service and having retired as a Sergeant First Class.
To all service members still in uniform do not wait until it is too late to learn how to choose your battles. Remember that your rank does not define you and to not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Most importantly never forget where you came from and that every fellow service member regardless of rank is just as important as the next person. When asked if you have anything to say be aware of your surroundings while tactfully addressing said issue or you may be super buffed out like I was.lol
You stole my thunder brother! I remember many a day waiting in the dayroom for the powers that be to give my comrades and me guidance. Everyone would complain about this and that and the barracks lawyers would interject. The next thing you know the First Sergeant would come in and after addressing us would ask if anyone had anything. low and behold there I was on an island by myself standing up and addressing said topics of discussion/concerns. Everyone else would not utter a word and I would end up looking like a trouble maker, complainer, and being smoked like know ones business!
It true Mark...I was on the SFC list for nearly two-years and wore it for eight-years and one-month before being medically retired after 20 years, 9 months, 6 days on active-duty.
Regardless, I am proud to be a Soldier for Life in our United States Army and do not regret a day of my service and having retired as a Sergeant First Class.
To all service members still in uniform do not wait until it is too late to learn how to choose your battles. Remember that your rank does not define you and to not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Most importantly never forget where you came from and that every fellow service member regardless of rank is just as important as the next person. When asked if you have anything to say be aware of your surroundings while tactfully addressing said issue or you may be super buffed out like I was.lol
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