Promote to sergeant first class as soon as possible or ahead of peers?

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 17:40:33 -0400

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 6:00 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 18:00:50 -0400

Could use a little more description but this isn't a Navy specific question so that could be my error.

If this is in reference to an evaluation and the terminology to use, it depends. For Marines and Navy both, the wording to a certain extent doesn't matter between those two options. Whichever sounds better to you. I personally read "as soon as possible" as the fastest there is, but some would probably argue that "ahead of peers" could imply an earlier date and have more impact.

When all else fails, I go with something like "Promote now, this ___ has been performing as a seasoned ___ (pay grade above) with exceptional results for..."

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 6:05 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 18:05:08 -0400

o Promote to SFC immediately
o Number 1 SFC out of 5 in the company
o Send to SLC as soon as possible
o Place in most challenging duty position and watch him excel
o Dynamic leader, groom for Command Sergeant Major

Now please keep in mind, hopefully you have the support form and quarterly counseling's to back this up.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Jul 29 at 2015 6:12 PM

SFC Stephen King — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 18:12:31 -0400

Promote to SFC immediately send To Senior Leaders Course now

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 7:25 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 07:25:16 -0400

Last year 97% of SSGs were rated 1/1. It makes it very hard for the board to discriminate between the true performers & the fluff evaluations. I'm not trying to be a Debby downer, but the rest of that evaluation better back those claims up, and if it doesn't, I hope your PT score is high, and that of your Soldiers as well, and that there are no DEROGs in your file. When the board is faced with finding the best out of a population where nearly everyone is marked as the best, it becomes less about what it should be, and more about searching out what is wrong with people so they can have some discriminatory factor in there. Until the new NCOER is online, and up and running, the board members are going to be challenged to really figure out who needs to move forward. At some point over the last 10 years, people have really forgotten the true purpose of the evaluation. It's not to make someone happy or a counseling venue, but it is to provide HRC with an honest and forthright assessment that will allow them to make the hard right decisions. Not everyone can be in the top 10%, but somehow, 96% of SSGs somehow made it there.
83% of people will tell you they are above average, statistically, that is impossible.