Is it appropriate to write your own NCOER when asked to?

SGM Mikel Dawson, I have been told from time to time to get my NCOER "ready" for review. The frustrating part of the process was the two sided coin effect. I write the NCOER and am told to correct it not grammar but content. I am thinking, you told me to write it? Then, in my final NCOER I was really tick off when my platoon sergeant duties was written off. I realized I was not in the position with a line item. I was in the position because no one else wanted to do it. One NCO would flat out refuse to do it and get away with it without jeopardy to his career. I could not do that. This was a stab in my back. I got all the heat rounds, long hours, standing on the carpet, took soldiers to promotion boards, just to be taken off my Final NCOER as if I never did any of that off and on for 6 months or so. I scratch my head today.

never but I recently seen that being done by another NCO. He told his team leader to write it. I couldnt believe what i was seing.

Both in active duty and in the Army Reserve, I wrote my own NCOER, with two exceptions. Those exceptions were both when I got raked over the coals. Raters and senior raters don't want to do their jobs, but they'll be happy to make you do yours if you have people under you.

I not only wrote drafts of my OERs, but drafts of endorsements so that the COC could choose to use one of them if they wished. I never minded it since I was detached for much of the time and my superiors had no opportunity to observe me on a daily basis. I always wrote my men's APRs and NCOERs myself though, since I worked with them daily.

So probably safe to say they weren't getting counselled either......Poor and lazy leadership right there......I'd provide input and then report it up the chain.......

No, it is not appropriate, ever. I'm kind of surprised that in the responses there is some agreement with the practice. The Army Regulation is quite clear on who should write the report, even better, it tells the responsible party what else they are to do, COUNSEL. If you are being asked to write your NCOER, or OER for that matter, I'm guessing you haven't been counseled properly. In my experience, leaders who ask Soldiers to write their report do not counsel. Be your own best advocate, INSIST that your rater counsel you properly, remind them during the year if that is what it takes, though you shouldn't need to. I wouldn't sign a NCOER with bogus dates, one where counseling hasn't been done, either, there is a way to handle that if that presents itself. You can refuse to write your report respectfully, I did so several times. Be prepared to provide input, though shouldn't need to if you've been counseled properly, it doesn't hurt to be involved. If your leader counsels appropriately NCOERs/OERs, and awards for that matter, should be easy to write.

There are a lot of situations (especially when you are geographically dispersed or in low density MOSs) where even if you have been counseled the rater may not have as much knowledge as you do about all your achievements, or what achievements are actually the most noteworthy in your field. So there are a lot of ways it has been worded to get a draft ready (or provide input, or give some bullets...) and if you choose not to do so you certainly are not required to provide anything. Then the person can go off what is in your counseling and what they know of your performance and no more - and you get what you get. If your boss is giving you the opportunity to have a direct impact on what your record reflects and you choose to have that be the most complete and accurate reflection of your accomplishments, you can do that.

I always told the Soldiers I rated to provide me with any input they wanted me to have and gave them a deadline to get it in. They had the choice of just giving me a list to add to their counseling record, or providing me bullets with the understanding that I wouldn't necessarily use them the way they were written if I used them at all, or they could write their own NCOER if they wanted to with the understanding that I WOULD edit and change it to reflect my evaluation (and they could not mark the boxes). If they chose not to provide any input I just wrote it based on what I knew of their performance. Either way, they got called in as usual to review what I had before it was finalized. It was a learning experience for them however they chose to do it, every time (they were always surprised that I generally knew more of what they had done than they did, actually - or at least knew what they could take credit about that they left off.)

I never got bent out of shape either way. Some people have difficulty with written work - doesn't mean they are bad leaders, they just need assistance in that arena. We have to get each other's back. The more we help those who need it (by going over it with them, not doing it wholesale) the better they get at it.

I was asked to write my own NCOER once by an Air Force Major, who wasn't really in my chain of command but was appointed as my rater. He was familiar with my work and that of my detachment (I was the NCOIC with no OIC). I told him I would be happy to provide him a list of accomplishments, but I would not write my own NCOER. If he didn't think enough about my performance to write it for me, then I didn't deserve to get one. He said that wasn't satisfactory, because he wasn't familiar enough with the Army system. I gave him a copy of the regulation and my last five NCOERs. I also happened to mention it to my Senior Rater, a crusty old Army Colonel, who was the Major's boss. Needless to say, but the Major wrote a glowing NCOER for me.

I also had a position with only civilians as my rater and senior rater. They really had never rated military personnel before, so I did give them extensive help, but I still did not write the NCOER for them. They were actually quite engaged in the process, spoke to my unit CSM and S1, read the regulation, and worked very hard to get it right.

The whole evaluation system, especially the newer system in place today, revolves around two major elements. First is the periodic counseling throughout the rated period, so there are no surprises when the NCOER is written. Both the NCO and the Rater are able to stay engaged over the period with how the NCO is progressing toward his or her goals and requirements established at the beginning of the rated period. Second, the NCOER itself should be a collaborative process. The NCO shouldn't write the NCOER, but should help write significant parts of it, based on discussions with the Rater about the goals and requirements, how the NCO progressed through the year, and the overall tone of the NCOER. The Rater should be making suggestions, asking questions, clarifying points, and collecting information. The NCO should then likely draft the report based on all those discussions, just to handle the administrative part of getting it on paper. Then, another discussion with the Rater to go over this draft construction to verify the information and ensure the Rater is satisfied everything is captured and accurate. Once any final corrections are made to the draft, it should be left in the hands of the Rater for final compilation, starting the signature process, and so forth.

This makes the process one of professional development, from the start of the rated period when the NCO and Rater agree on goals and requirements, and through the periodic counseling sessions when progress is discussed, any changes to goals and requirements are made, and additional guidance is given. At the end, the collaborative NCOER deliberative process I described helps both the Rater and NCO understand and ensure the NCOER is an accurate and realistic evaluation of the NCO's performance during the rated period. NOT using this kind of process shortchanges the individuals involved, the organization, and the entire Army. Each NCOER is a building block for the professional development of the entire NCO Corps. Looking at it as only one NCOER for one person, that doesn't really matter all that much is a serious dereliction of duty. IMHO, anyway.

Had a couple of experiences like yours, I took a little different tack - fine you want me to write my own - well by golly I think I'm the best thing since sliced bread and you will to......I'm proud that I never placed any of 'my' folks in that position, always wrote an honest and fair eval.....once or twice maybe even cut a couple of folks more slack than they deserved. I've found that the ability to write an effective evaluation has assisted me in preparing business plans and proposals....so, the Army did me a service by helping me develop the ability to write a cohesive and cogent paragraph or two.....amazing how many struggle with the same.

It completely removes the eval as a developmental tool but then again, it deviated from that purpose long ago anyway. It now serves as a tool for promotion only.