Posted on Oct 4, 2021
Should we add an essay requirement for centralized boards?
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It sounds silly, but hear me out.
Senior NCOs and Officers absolutely make or break a junior NCO's or Officer's career based on the strength of their writing. We have all seen and/or lamented the complete lack of writing skill showcased by some senior leaders. And these leaders are writing NCOERs and OERs, harming the career of countless young troops.
It has been said multiple times in multiple forums by countless Senior Officers: Effective written communication skills are an absolute MUST for senior Army leaders. But we don't really evaluate it on NCOERs or OERs. (Imagine reading a bullet that said "consistently writes professional memos and creates top-notch bullets for evaluations" or something similar. You would think you were being pranked.) We just assume senior leaders are good writers - all evidence to the contrary.
Before we promote someone to the levels where their writing skills (or lack thereof) will directly impact their subordinate's ability to be promoted, should we first make sure they have the necessary ability to accurately, concisely, and professionally write?
My thoughts are that the more senior you are, the more critical this becomes - therefore the longer and deeper your essay.
SFC / MSG boards: 2-3 pages
CSM / MAJ / LTC boards: 3-5
Nominative CSM / COL board: 5-7
GEN: 10+
At each level, the essay would be on something relevant to that level of leadership, require a level of research (Army regs for MAJ and below; joint regs for LTC; strategic planning for a current conflict / hot spot for Nominative CSM / COL; Allied planning, incorporation, and coalition-building for GEN... Or similar), and be required to follow a specified formatting (MLA, APA, Chicago, other chosen by the board).
I think adding this requirement will do a few things:
1) Provide a good view of writing ability.
2) Provide a measure of "give a fuck."
3) Give insight into the leader's thought process and leadership style.
Of course, it would be ripe for cheating or corruption - I can very easily see NCOs running to that one guy who everyone knows writes well and begging for that person to write their essay.
It would also add a TON of time to the board. So I am thinking that it is the last thing viewed. Once the board has their number, plus 10%, THEN they open the essays, and use them as a sort of "final qualifier." It will STILL add a lot of time to the board, but less than reviweing essays from the start.
There is also an argument regarding subjectivity, but IMHO that argument is largely moot as the entire board process is subjective.
It will never happen, if for no other reason than the time involved. But if it *could* happen, what do all y'all think?
Senior NCOs and Officers absolutely make or break a junior NCO's or Officer's career based on the strength of their writing. We have all seen and/or lamented the complete lack of writing skill showcased by some senior leaders. And these leaders are writing NCOERs and OERs, harming the career of countless young troops.
It has been said multiple times in multiple forums by countless Senior Officers: Effective written communication skills are an absolute MUST for senior Army leaders. But we don't really evaluate it on NCOERs or OERs. (Imagine reading a bullet that said "consistently writes professional memos and creates top-notch bullets for evaluations" or something similar. You would think you were being pranked.) We just assume senior leaders are good writers - all evidence to the contrary.
Before we promote someone to the levels where their writing skills (or lack thereof) will directly impact their subordinate's ability to be promoted, should we first make sure they have the necessary ability to accurately, concisely, and professionally write?
My thoughts are that the more senior you are, the more critical this becomes - therefore the longer and deeper your essay.
SFC / MSG boards: 2-3 pages
CSM / MAJ / LTC boards: 3-5
Nominative CSM / COL board: 5-7
GEN: 10+
At each level, the essay would be on something relevant to that level of leadership, require a level of research (Army regs for MAJ and below; joint regs for LTC; strategic planning for a current conflict / hot spot for Nominative CSM / COL; Allied planning, incorporation, and coalition-building for GEN... Or similar), and be required to follow a specified formatting (MLA, APA, Chicago, other chosen by the board).
I think adding this requirement will do a few things:
1) Provide a good view of writing ability.
2) Provide a measure of "give a fuck."
3) Give insight into the leader's thought process and leadership style.
Of course, it would be ripe for cheating or corruption - I can very easily see NCOs running to that one guy who everyone knows writes well and begging for that person to write their essay.
It would also add a TON of time to the board. So I am thinking that it is the last thing viewed. Once the board has their number, plus 10%, THEN they open the essays, and use them as a sort of "final qualifier." It will STILL add a lot of time to the board, but less than reviweing essays from the start.
There is also an argument regarding subjectivity, but IMHO that argument is largely moot as the entire board process is subjective.
It will never happen, if for no other reason than the time involved. But if it *could* happen, what do all y'all think?
Professional Development
Promotions
Promotion Board
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
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The Army has recently revamped the Professional Developmental System. Soldiers writing skills are evaluated at each level of PME. I agree with you, however I don’t think writing an essay is necessary for Centralized Promotion Boards since the improvement of PME.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
I have been retired for four years, so it is possible what you are saying is true. But in my experience, that mentality is half the problem. Even back in PLDC, BNCOC, and ANCOC (now BLC, ALC, and SLC), we were evaluated on written and oral communication. Those who were notably above the rest got top blocks (approx 20%). Pretty much everyone else met the standard. If you could write at the 6th grade level that was good enough - even in ANCOC. The thinking was that as long as you could get your message across, it was good enough. Didn't matter if you got your message across WELL. SGLs were looking at messaging DOWN, not messaging UP. Not looking at how what you were writing reflected not on you, but on who you were writing about.
And so, we assume that all of these PME-passed leaders can write well. We have a shit ton of leaders who *can* effectively communicate to their subordinates. They write adequate counselings, understandable orders, and usable memos. But they don't communicate WELL. The can't concisely relay nuance or gradation. Yes, an NCOER bullet that says "SFC O'Mally accomplished all tasks" communicates "effectively." Even "SFC O'Mally accomplished all tasks to standard and ahead of schedule," which is better, but still only rises to the level of "effective." The problem with these bullets is that while they are accurate and communicate "effectively," they do nothing to tell the board whether I am worthy of promotion. And I saw a metric shit ton of "effective" award and evaluation bullets (or narratives) - to invlude awards and evals written by (and on) Officers.
Like I said, maybe PME *has* changed, and they are starting to fail folks who can't write at at LEAST a HS graduate level. But I seriously doubt it.
And so, we assume that all of these PME-passed leaders can write well. We have a shit ton of leaders who *can* effectively communicate to their subordinates. They write adequate counselings, understandable orders, and usable memos. But they don't communicate WELL. The can't concisely relay nuance or gradation. Yes, an NCOER bullet that says "SFC O'Mally accomplished all tasks" communicates "effectively." Even "SFC O'Mally accomplished all tasks to standard and ahead of schedule," which is better, but still only rises to the level of "effective." The problem with these bullets is that while they are accurate and communicate "effectively," they do nothing to tell the board whether I am worthy of promotion. And I saw a metric shit ton of "effective" award and evaluation bullets (or narratives) - to invlude awards and evals written by (and on) Officers.
Like I said, maybe PME *has* changed, and they are starting to fail folks who can't write at at LEAST a HS graduate level. But I seriously doubt it.
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SFC Casey O'Mally I think you’re idea makes a great deal of sense. Having been NCOIC of Enlisted Promotions my entire time in the Army, it was obvious to be writing skills are lacking in the higher rankings. I particularly noticed this when completing promotion point worksheets. I reviewed every piece of documentation which counted towards promotion points. Most awards for Medals read exactly the same with just the SM’s name changed. This was the format for Enlisted Promotions as it was programmed on the computer and you only had to enter the SM’s name, SSN, MOS, and rank. It was the standard order. I think if leaders are going to be effective, communication skills, including writing skills, are imperative to the mission...just my two cents
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I will say this is part of the BCAP process for BN CMD. You have to write an essay by hand and Grammer, spelling are graded along with content.
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Great question with decent responses so far as I’ve read them all and your response to each. I’ll hit you with my opinion as someone who is college educated, has written most of his own NCOERs for one reason or another, and the issue at hand as I see it! The easiest thing to tackle as you hit the nail on the head isn’t our verbal communication or regular counselings those are usually spot on so I’ll let that stand. Only breakdowns there I see would be 1. A toxic Leader; 2. A Soldier who is afraid to communicate they have an issue until it’s too late; 3. The young NCO who takes on too much and is overwhelmed but says he has got it under control.
Now the proposed question at hand the reason an essay wouldn’t really do anything for the board are: it can be too easily cheated for one, two the board is trying to be as objective as possible towards every potential promotee, this would subjective based on what I liked in essays if I was on the board if you catch my drift! Ok, that was only one aspect of the NCOER dilemma we are going to tackle sorry this is long but I think it needs to be said. We don’t use essay or apa style writing we use bullet style writing. The problem is that most Raters or Senior Raters don’t care enough to sit down with the Rated Soldier and talk expectations how to get top blocks, what that looks like in quantifiable data, and how to articulate that in Army jargon on paper! We want short concise bullets with numbers, amounts, data! That way you or I can validate what you are saying in a quantifiable amount! That’s the problem most people don’t do that! They don’t or forget to tell us that number, amount, percentage, etc!
Lastly, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the bad NCO or Officer bit about having to write your own NCOER, but I have found this out and agree with the 1SG in this aspect of his comment. So you are 100% correct a great Rater should have a rough draft near completion if your quarterly counselings are done especially on the support form! (Not done ever!)
This is where I agree with the 1SG I prefer writing my own NCOER because then the burden of proof is on them to say otherwise not me! I provided the Rater and Senior Rater with a product of my accomplishments for the year now prove otherwise?! If I haven’t been quarterly counseled then they have nothing and I win on all accounts! You know how I know because I’ve done this and when my Rater who didn’t like me wanted to downplay my NCOER and accomplishments in favor for his buddy I just went to the CSM and let’s just say I got the NCOER I wrote and his job and he was gone soon afterwards!
Now the proposed question at hand the reason an essay wouldn’t really do anything for the board are: it can be too easily cheated for one, two the board is trying to be as objective as possible towards every potential promotee, this would subjective based on what I liked in essays if I was on the board if you catch my drift! Ok, that was only one aspect of the NCOER dilemma we are going to tackle sorry this is long but I think it needs to be said. We don’t use essay or apa style writing we use bullet style writing. The problem is that most Raters or Senior Raters don’t care enough to sit down with the Rated Soldier and talk expectations how to get top blocks, what that looks like in quantifiable data, and how to articulate that in Army jargon on paper! We want short concise bullets with numbers, amounts, data! That way you or I can validate what you are saying in a quantifiable amount! That’s the problem most people don’t do that! They don’t or forget to tell us that number, amount, percentage, etc!
Lastly, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the bad NCO or Officer bit about having to write your own NCOER, but I have found this out and agree with the 1SG in this aspect of his comment. So you are 100% correct a great Rater should have a rough draft near completion if your quarterly counselings are done especially on the support form! (Not done ever!)
This is where I agree with the 1SG I prefer writing my own NCOER because then the burden of proof is on them to say otherwise not me! I provided the Rater and Senior Rater with a product of my accomplishments for the year now prove otherwise?! If I haven’t been quarterly counseled then they have nothing and I win on all accounts! You know how I know because I’ve done this and when my Rater who didn’t like me wanted to downplay my NCOER and accomplishments in favor for his buddy I just went to the CSM and let’s just say I got the NCOER I wrote and his job and he was gone soon afterwards!
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SFC Casey O'Mally
While I understand your point, as a counterpoint I will say that OERS have been narrative format for a while now, and NCOERs are now narrative format, as well. Lower level awards are narrative bullets, and higher level awards are straight narrative.
Yes, the Army writing style is definitively different than the collegiate writing style. But your rater's ability to write effectively (or your willingness / ability to write your own awards and evals) is still one of the critical factors in career advancement. And as long as it is a critical factor in advancement, we need to have *some way* of ensuring that when we promote individuals into positions where they have the ability to make or break careers based on their writing skills, they have the necessary writing skills to perform. After all... "All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership."
I am not necessarily disagreeing with you, I think we are both seeing the same problem from different angles.
Yes, the Army writing style is definitively different than the collegiate writing style. But your rater's ability to write effectively (or your willingness / ability to write your own awards and evals) is still one of the critical factors in career advancement. And as long as it is a critical factor in advancement, we need to have *some way* of ensuring that when we promote individuals into positions where they have the ability to make or break careers based on their writing skills, they have the necessary writing skills to perform. After all... "All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership."
I am not necessarily disagreeing with you, I think we are both seeing the same problem from different angles.
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I agree but the way of the DOD these days is taking out any discriminating factors. This approach would add another layer that someone could subjectively evaluate their performance and use it for a thumbs up or down. DOD wants the same criteria to judge everybody and they want it to be objective. Not arguing either way, just giving my observation.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
Sir, I don't disagree. But I don't entirely agree either. The entire board process is an exercise in subjectivity. What are we focusing on this year? Which NCOER bullet is "better" than which other one? How do we compare civilian and military education? Etc.
Yes, they are looking for ways to make things more objective. But it is a fools errand, IMHO.
Yes, they are looking for ways to make things more objective. But it is a fools errand, IMHO.
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If you let someone else write your Eval, you deserve a bad Eval. Thats why it has signature blocks for Rater, Senior Rater, and reviewer. Write your own, let them validate the trueness of it.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
1SG,
I completely disagree. If I *have to* write my own eval, I have a shitty rater.
And that was my experience almost universally in the Army. Every time I had a first line who I truly respected and "wanted to be like when I grow up" when it came time for my NCOER, they already had a rough draft and took the time to sit down with me and discuss it. Every time I had a POS leader who I was learning what NOT to do, when it came NCOER time, they told me to write it myself.
I completely disagree. If I *have to* write my own eval, I have a shitty rater.
And that was my experience almost universally in the Army. Every time I had a first line who I truly respected and "wanted to be like when I grow up" when it came time for my NCOER, they already had a rough draft and took the time to sit down with me and discuss it. Every time I had a POS leader who I was learning what NOT to do, when it came NCOER time, they told me to write it myself.
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Great idea but until boards stop focusing on PT scores and photos (I know it is gone for now), nothing else matters much.
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SFC(P) (Join to see)
DA Photos haven’t been used for a few years now even on the enlisted side I stopped taking them in 2018!
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MAJ Byron Oyler
SFC(P) (Join to see) - They will be back as without the photos they are finding diversity is decreasing.
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SFC(P) (Join to see)
MAJ Byron Oyler not in my career they won’t! I never thought they should’ve gotten rid of them in the first place but that’s a whole didn’t conversation on professional looks, health, care, time, accountability, etc! I think taking the photo out was a passed over person’s EO cry to get another chance because they were average personally! My opinion of course Sir!
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I don't think so because 1) we don't use college writing formats for awards or evals, we use Army writing, and 2) NCOPDS facilitators don't even grade the APA papers we write, they just scan it into a system for grading.
I see where you're going and you're definitely not wrong, just don't think this a solution. With that being said, I don't have a solution to counter propose to you.
I see where you're going and you're definitely not wrong, just don't think this a solution. With that being said, I don't have a solution to counter propose to you.
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Some of the writing averse SNCOs seem to be the "go ahead and write your own NCOERs/Awards and I'll sign off on it" type.
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