I had a Cpl who was excellent in counseling. At first, I thought he was a complete A Hole at how he did it. He would do a sandwich of counseling, i. e. - Great initiative, poor judgment. So in other words he was able to let me know that I acted on a situation, which was good, however, my choice on how I acted was inappropriate, and he would offer other solutions as to how to handle things. So, when pros and cons went down, there where no surprises as to a holy walk on water 5 or a Holy crap 1 or 2. So if you're just getting ambushed by your NCOs at pro con time, you can safely say ( to yourself) you have piss poor leadership. Pro and Con should be an ongoing measurement of how you are progressing with DAILY tasks.

I have noticed multiple ways pro/cons have been conducted. Pre-briefed, throughout the grading period, and the Marines getting slammed with there marks with no notice. I'm a Corporal now, but as a Lance, a Staff Sergeant, the same man to pin me on to Corporal, told me to study and understand exactly how pros/cons are given to each Marine. Once I understood how the system worked, he guided me to give myself my own pros/cons and discussed each point with me. Given this method, I believe this is the best effective leadership style due to a Marine understanding how they are being graded and why. This method also provides for that Marine to, if the day comes, already have a huge footstep in the door when they are a Sergeant and writing their own fitreps. Hope this helps. Semper Fidelis

I would brief them on their Pros/Cons incase something that was put into it was incorrect and it could be corrected on the spot and also if they want higher marks they can argue their case (tactfully) and once again you can change it to accordingly. I once had a LCpl who, after I gave him his marks and I asked him if there is anything he wants to discuss, storms off after I dismissed him. That caused him to get lower marks in my eyes and therefore lower marks in the SNCO's eyes also. I'm not sure it's a order but that's what was taught at Cpl's Course at MCAS Cherry Point.