Chief's perspective: Now is the time for bold leadership

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• CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT OF THE AIR FORCE JAMES A. ROY

Chief's perspective: Now is the time for bold leadership

Posted 4/13/2012

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by Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy

4/13/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Enlisted Airmen,

A week ago I sent an email message titled Leadership vs. Policy to Command Chiefs and Career Field Managers. You may have seen that message, or parts of it, but I'd like to take the opportunity to address it with you directly.

The theme of the message was that too much arbitrary guidance could prove to be counterproductive. As supervisors, the more leverage we have to deal with situations on a case-by-case basis, the better.

Junior Enlisted Airmen

Young Airmen are our most precious resource. We spend millions of dollars recruiting, training, and equipping them to execute the tactical parts of the mission, and they never let us down.

We owe Junior Enlisted Airmen the proper training, education and experiences it takes to develop them into leaders in their field. We owe it to them to explain what is expected of them, and to follow up with how they are meeting our expectations. We owe them the mentorship and guidance they need to succeed, and they should be expected to do everything they can to meet the high standard set by the supervisor.

NCOs

What our Junior Enlisted Airmen learn about leadership and mentorship will shape how they eventually supervise. Therefore, first-line supervisors have an incredible responsibility. NCOs should set young Airmen up for success by outlining specifically how to earn their highest rating. Following that, mentoring and additional feedback should address specific shortfalls and how to overcome them.

We are growing leaders, not judging Airmen on their ability to get it right on their own. As a supervisor, you should do all you can to help your Airmen succeed. When used properly, the formal feedback process is a good foundation for making this happen.

Senior NCOs

Our most senior enlisted Airmen have a tremendous amount of impact on this process. SNCOs should hold their NCOs and Senior Airmen accountable for conducting required feedback sessions, and support their fair ratings. SNCOs should understand that a 4 is not a bad rating, and that some Airmen will earn that rating in a given period. Rating an Airman fairly will not hurt their career; it should help them grow.

Commanders

In addition to the email message I sent to Chiefs, I sent a similar message to MAJCOM commanders, asking them to pass it down to their commanders. Because most of our reports are signed by a commander, I felt it was important that they understand where we're coming from. Commanders are the key and final component of this process, and their support for fair and accurate ratings is critical.

Bold Leadership

Some have suggested we set some arbitrary quota for the number of 5 ratings allowed in a given shop. They claim that would make things easier.

I'm not interested in doing what's easy; I'm interested in doing what's right. Implementing a quota would strip first-line supervisors of the leverage they need to grow tomorrow's enlisted leaders.

We don't need quotas. Instead, we need bold leaders to set high standards and help Airmen achieve them. We need bold leaders to confront those Airmen who don't meet standards and document that feedback. We need those bold leaders to rate each individual fairly and accurately, and that isn't easy. They will need the support of SNCOs and commanders to make it work.

It takes bold leadership on everyone's part to develop Airmen.

Now is the time to do everything you can at your level to make this happen.

Comments

7/13/2012 10:03:09 AM ET
Overall a great message from the Chief but I would take it a little farther. On the old form 910 rating someone as a five on their EPR indicated the person should be in the next rank immediately. I believe we should bring that back here's why We see firewall five EPRs on Airmen who have promoted in the weeks and months prior to their report closeout. Are these ratings truly accurate if they have not proven themselves in their current rank The Air Force establishes minimum time frames for promotion eligibility why not apply that to the rating system as well No one would be able to escape it and it would break the five habit. If we want to make a difference in reforming the EPR system this is the perfect place to start. Every Airman in every rank would receive a four EPR in the year following their promotion. As they progress through that rank those four EPRs would be less weight for promotion. Once someone is promotion eligible they can receive a five rating. As a

MSgt M, North Dakota

7/3/2012 11:33:28 AM ET
That does make sense. But a system that depends upon the just nature of man is a flawed system. The things we should look for in a potential leader is not so cut and dry as volunteering. The things we look at now mean they have the ability to give up their time and stay busy for the sake of being paid more. That has nothing to do with being able to lead and building new leaders. Ask yourself this how many good leaders have been overlooked for a person who just stays busy.

A1C Davis, TX

7/2/2012 5:04:07 PM ET
I really enjoyed this message and agree with it. I believe in Dealing truly with one another. Take the time to set the standards and be honest with your airmen they can only grow from it. In today's airforce it is horrible to get a 4 but it is not the end and i have seen people get it and still make the next rank. We should be encouraged an humbled to do the right thing and give airmen the feedback they deserve. The EPR system is not inflated the raters...etc.. are broken.

SSgt Lathwood, Mountain Home AFB

7/2/2012 12:13:28 PM ET
I'm new to the Air Force but can clearly see the issue here. Bottom line is there is a way to make yourself look better. You're not going to change the majority of peoples mindsets without a severe shock as a whole. Progress is simply human nature no matter what the cost. If you want to fix the problem you need to take away the shiny part of being promoted. If people weren't getting paid more would they still try. The real leaders would shine through as they wouldn't be doing it for profit. I'm not saying this would work word for word but these are the types of ideas that it would take.

A1C Davis, TX

6/29/2012 5:06:39 PM ET
1. Remove EPRs from WAPS. Why since everyone is getting 127-135 points for EPRs the EPR has not been a very useful discriminator for a while now. 2. Require Rater Rater's Rater and CC to Recommend Not Recommend the member for WAPS testing based on past performance and GROWTH of member in current stripe. 3. Remove EPRs from criteria for award of medals. Performance and GROWTH in the current stripe should determine if the member deserves a medal not the quick glance over the past three EPRs. Old 5 5 5 you get a medal 5 4 5 no medal. This is directly impeding the use of the feedback and EPR for the purpose of GROWING the member. New 5 5 5 you get a medal 5 4 5 pinned on a new stripe grew well in new stripe Received an honest 4 and then proceeded to earn a subsequent 5 in the new stripe you get a medal.

AD MSgt, JBPH-H

5/13/2012 2:22:07 PM ET
Honestly the only way to be fair across the board is to completely do away with the numbers. If you want to make this work through each level of the chain then make each level of the chain work. Get rid of the numbers completely. Doing so you can put on paper honestly Instead of all of the fluff what the Airman has done and the leadership actually has to read the information Which requires work to determine who this Airman is. For example SSgt Parker has done XYZ he has Lead ABC however SSgt Parker received an LOR for the following behavior therfore we request that this be taken into consideration etc. Its a clear descriptive realistic summary of who the person is. You can highlight strong points weaknesses areas that require work praises etc. Instead the EPR system is fluffed into one bullet that makes the Airman sound like he walks on water all by himself and has done everything in the shop for instanceSingle Handedly launched 2000 sorties with Zero descrepan

SSgt Aaron Parker, Kandahar

5/11/2012 1:39:54 PM ET
Leverage is an illusion that can only exist for airman who intend to make the military a career. The newer generations who are coming into the Air Force do not have the same goal of remaining with a company for 20 years as previous generations. Therefore threats policy and tactics of the past no longer work. The Air Force needs to take a look at what behaviors and actions have hidden incentives. Motivation is achived through providing incentives that are aligned with Air Force vision.

Jason Soule, JB Charleston

5/9/2012 6:38:24 PM ET
Chief MSgt of The Air Force is attempting to change our culture excellent. I work in a joint unit where ArmyNavy supervise AF. AF supervise other services. Other services know the AF typically receive firewall 5 EPR and think its a joke. They wonder why they are rating a great Army guy as average and an average Air Force guy as the best of the best. BECAUSE THATS WHAT YOU DO FOR THE AIR FORCE IS WHAT THERE TOLD AF supervisors try to carry the firewall 5 mentality to their armynavy troops and are told know one is top notch by the sister service Senior Enlisted. In the Army rarely is anyone marked fantastic in all categories in the Navy they go as far as ranking everyone the same rank racked and stacked. Talk about knowing who is the best. Our culture presently is out of touch with our sister services. With us being a more joint force we dont want to carry our mentality with us or let it bleed into other services. People are afraid of rating someone a 4 because another airmen in

TSgt Church, White House Communications Agency

5/7/2012 5:55:26 AM ET
I agree with the Chief. I have read many of the comments and agree with most. However with respect to all SNCO's. I disagree with one comment that starts it starts with our JNCO's. While I agree we JNCO's need to have proper feedbacks with our Airman and rate them correctly. I believe it starts with our SNCO's all the way to our CCs to enforce these standards and start holding us responsible for supervising our troops correctly. We can't blame our younger NCO's until our SNO's rate us correctly.

DW TSgt, Germany

4/26/2012 12:01:27 PM ET
I agree with the Chief, it does require leadership. The Air Force has mostly management, not leadership. To force management into doing the right thing requires a policy change. Forcing leadership to do the right thing doesn't make sense, they would already be doing it right.Understand that a large percentage of SNCOs and NCOs are in those positions because of the same all 5 mentality and they lasted with the garbage longer because it didn't conflict with their personality or drive. They won't be the ones to change the system, you just can't ask them to do that.

Alex, WPAFB

4/26/2012 8:44:43 AM ET
Last comment and I'm out of this. A cultural change of this magnitude wont be immediate. However, it's doable. Ir requires and aggressive campaighn to mo0ld the minds of Airmen when the enter the force and repeated reinforcement along the way. Basic Training and the Officer entry points is where it starts. We focus so much on professional development and theory but lose steam if not matched with character development, because I required that a bit before my career began to take off or I would have gotten kicked out as a SrA, trust me. Cheers and best to you all.

SMSgt Retired, Robins AFB

4/25/2012 6:40:46 PM ET
In regards to EPR fairness, the real injustice is the lack of knowledge the junior enlisted Airman receives on how an epr rating can affect their career. Since every supervisor rates differently on what they think a 5 may be, some raters can say a 4 epr is not bad. When I was an Airman, I wish my first supervisor would have shown me a waps calculator excel sheet and shown me how one or more fours on an epr can make all the difference in making rank, every point matters. This information will drive young Airman to truly excel knowing what is at risk if they plan to make a career out of the Air Force. it will also give young Airman a higher level of interest and concern on their feedback sessions. Supervisors should make it clear to their troop after every feedback session or closeout where their troop stands. EPR results should not be a surprise or shocker to the Ratee. Also, Waiting to tell your troops about waps when they just put on Sra is wrong, by then they will already have a co

prior_E, Ca

4/25/2012 4:32:30 PM ET
Same old rating system words. I have heard these words from all levels and positions since shortly after the rating system changed from the APR system. The term Bold Leadership is just different words than what was used in the past but all of them with the same meaning. There are bigger cogs working the universe here people. The message works for a short-time and only takes temporary effect in the immediate areas where it is adopted. It will not act like a domino and spread from one section to the next or from one base to the next making a solid change. Personnel change-over happens faster than casual left to the masses slow adoption. This can always stop proposed changes dead in their path. You are talking about changing a massive mind-set that is comparable to changing a society. Unless everyone is of a the same single cell making the same push at the same time or held to specific criteria by regulations then you are going to always have this bottomless pit discussion. APRs were

SNCO, CONUS

4/24/2012 7:34:21 PM ET
The 'bell curve' and standard deviation appear everywhere... except in the AF and in Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average.

Sgt Peanut, deployed

4/24/2012 1:27:12 PM ET
Continued from last. We speak with both 'word and deed' and our deeds are not reconciling with our words. This is a problem of unintended consequences of our incentive structures and solving these problems is very much part of bold leadership. Escaping the trap of unintended consequences is a difficult road and it will require not only guts and heart but also our heads. So my ardent hope remains that we as a service might together engage all of these faculties toward strengthening our Air Force. Very Respectfully and Unabashedly Hopefully

Dave Blair, Georgetown University - Continued

4/24/2012 7:32:29 AM ET
When an EPR carries more weight for promotion than your job knowledge it will always be inflated. I think if the EPR were a true evaluation of performance 90 percent of the enlisted force would be a 3-4.

NCO at Lackland, Texas

4/24/2012 2:26:11 AM ET
I agree with the philosophy that the Chief is conveying but the problem to me is not how Airmen are rated it is the system in which Airmen are promoted.If we rate based on how our ratees performed then the system still promotes 3 performers. I can have two airman that perform at a 5 and 3. The 5 on paper should be promoted. The 3 on paper just came to work and did the minimum to stay out of trouble nothing above and beyond. The system allows both to test and both are promotable. Let us say that the 3 studies hard and does well on test enough to get promoted. The other one the 5 does the same amount of studying but does poorly on test and misses the cutoff. Is it alright to promote the 3 over the 5 In the current model it is not only the right thing to do but it is mandatory. Something is wrong with this picture when the one you rated who should deserve the promotion gets passovered because one of the ones who did not perform at a promotable level earned promot

Jason Allen MSgt, JBER

4/23/2012 12:42:28 PM ET
MSgt JacksonI agree with you except for the CCAF part. Although it would be beneficial for a guy like me in regards to getting points for completion of CCAF I do beleive that the CCAF is false advertisement when it comes to saying how good a person is at the job. There are many Sharp troops and coworkers and supervisors of mine that are way better at the job than I am and they dont have a CCAF. I dont deserve to get a promotion over my coworker thats better at the job than I am just because I have a CCAF.Everything else you mentioned I do agree with.

SrA Bernard, Dyess

4/23/2012 10:25:25 AM ET
Wow and honest and candid feedback is a good start. However being confronted by an effective and engaged supervisor when performance is lacking on the spot correction builds trust and loyalty to the rater in their roles accomplishing the mission. Waiting until the end of reporting year to ding somoeone ..even when justified is not bold its deceitful. What has the leader done to correct performance... they have a weighted responibility to ensure high performance...or correct it. And I don't mean by accomplishing the AF two minimum feedback...wow thats not bold. Is that reall all our Airmen deserve

Chief T, Ft Lost In The Woods

4/23/2012 9:03:29 AM ET
With out some sort of external checks and balances the EPR system will always fail. Try explaining to a young SrA why he got a 4 and is a good troop when his buddies all get 5's because their shop doesn't want to hurt anyone. IMO using the math explanation on why a 4 supposedly doesn't hurt someone is like having a car salesman use their math to tell you what a great deal your getting.Go or No Go is the way to go and nix the whole EPR points for promotion as a supervisorleader I recommend you for promotion and then it's up to YOU to know your job and the PDG and not be a fat BoyGirl then you get promoted on the things that count not if you belong to the good old boys club or if your supervisor knows how to write.

RunDWC, USA

4/20/2012 12:49:53 PM ET
There is an excerpt in the book of Core Values that mentions having faith in leadership and not assuming you know more than they do. If you subscribe to this then but your tails on then line and start rating accordingly becasue by not doign so you are thumbing your nose at the values that makes us an great albiet imprfect Air Force

SMSgt retired, Robins

4/19/2012 4:16:24 PM ET
I hold Chief Roy and his call to leadership in the highest regard that befitting a senior Air Force leader and bold warrior in his own right. I am not asking for an 'easy' way out in proposing a rating system that incorporates scarcity. In fact I believe doing so does exactly the opposite - it forces us to deal with the hard truths of the unintended consequences of administrative processes lest we pass them to our subordinates. In one of the most perverse ironies of the current system we spend work to justify lower scores for non-performers but are largely unable to reward stronger performers with higher scores. This is why I have argued for a system not of quotas but of a 'market of points.' Ref TWS Article. There is a structural problem when we tell people to do one thing yet reward them for doing another. The present system clearly incentivizes certain behaviors yet we tell people to do otherwise. We speak with both 'word and deed' and our deeds are not reconciling

Dave Blair, Georgetown University

4/19/2012 4:02:36 PM ET
The book Roadmap to Chief written in 2011 is a short book containing valuable advice that would be of great assistance to Airmen and enlisted supervisors of all kinds to learn what it takes to have a successful Air Force career. See httproadmaptochief.com.

Jeff Urbaniak, Windham Maine

4/19/2012 11:28:03 AM ET
Lots of these comments seem to reflect the absence of bold leadership the Chief was calling for. It troubles me to see so many people who can't get past the feeling of the man keeping them down. You grade your people on how they perform, period. My integrity as a leader is not dictated by how others fill out an EPR/OPR or how honest they are in doing so. I've filed numerous -meets standards- EPRs and never once needed paperwork; why would you for a non-dergatory report? Give feedback to provide the troops a chance to do better, but meets standards is meets standards. Change your mindset folks, we don't wake up 1's or 5's in the morning, we all start at a 3 and our actions dictate if we go above or below the call of duty. Bold leadership gives honest feedback and fights the good fight to support it.

Buster, CO

4/19/2012 10:41:33 AM ET
D from MDL nailed it. What really needs to be done is to scrap the Whole Person Concept. WPC does nothing more than hose the hardest workers. They are the ones who are making sure the job gets done and not volunteering for everything just for face time. If you want to do that, then fine. Do that on your own time and understand that it will get you nothing towards promotion. Volunteering for things you believe in are a good thing; however, there is far too much emphasis on community involvement. How many times have we seen volunteers at events knowing they would rather be somewhere else? Scrapping the Whole Person Concept separates the true warriors from the politicians.

BF, IN

4/18/2012 6:29:34 PM ET
Why are most folks given a firewall 5 Because their leadership doesn't want to knee-cap their chances for promotion. Remove the EPR from the promotion point system and you'll start seeing a lot more people rated 3-4. Instead put in points for fitness and education along with a enabling commanders to assign bonus points for top performers. Essentially adopt a more Army-like approach. Positive results- the promotion process will become more a whole-person evaluation and EPRs will be vehicles for truly honest feedback.

Capt, US

4/18/2012 4:59:18 PM ET
The junior enlisted force continues to seek guidance and dare I say help from senior leadership just to get shot down. We can not fix the leadership andor rating problem in today's AF. This has been a continuing problem for 20 years maybe the CMSAF should take ownership and fix at least one thing prior to his retirement.

Me, here

4/18/2012 4:10:47 PM ET
When will this ever end. This has been going on endlessly with no light at the end of the tunnel. The only fix to this system is to scrap it and start over.

Andy, New Jersey

4/18/2012 3:17:16 PM ET
Mentoring All of this force shaping and policy changes have hurt the quality of our recruiters. It's like little league now and everyone gets to play. Developement has been slowed and it will show when the economy gets better. People won't know what to do when they have to recruit more than one person a month to make goal.

Went Pro, Texas

4/18/2012 1:46:12 PM ET
@MSgt Johnson: I see the wholepersonconcept resulting in volingering. Volingering is just like malingering except it is volunteer work. Johnny maintenance cannot turn a wrench but is active in every org on base. Firewall 5 for Johnny facetime.Also this message has been repeated by every CMSAF for the past 20 years.

D, MDL

4/18/2012 1:45:24 PM ET
Wow...MSgt Jackson, I couldn't agree more! I have been bouncing this off of people and asking anyone with the background to answer, "Why does the Air Force try so hard to avoid objectivity in evaluation?" WAPS testing for example...in this microscopic cpu age it takes months to get promotion testing results. They go to extreme lengths to ensure fairness, and yet we can't include that in an evaluation. I'm thinking everything from small arms training to ancillary training. Let's take the time to distinguish between our Airmen. Why is that such a scary thought? Is it because many will appear average or less? That's what the 2' and 3's are there for. Most people will be a 3 and that's fine.

Javaughn, Keesler

4/18/2012 11:58:31 AM ET
Wow...MSgt Jackson I couldn't agree more I have been bouncing this off of people and asking anyone with the background to answer Why does the Air Force try so hard to avoid objectivity in evaluation WAPS testing for example...in this microscopic cpu age it takes months to get promotion testing results. They go to extreme lengths to ensure fairness and yet we can't include that in an evaluation. I'm thinking everything from small arms training to ancillary training. Let's take the time to distinguish between our Airmen. Why is that such a scary thought Is it because many will appear average or less That's what the 2' and 3's are there for. Most people will be a 3 and that's fine.

Javaughn Johnson, Keesler AFB

4/18/2012 10:13:00 AM ET
Just a few comments all you each can do is set the standards provide the feedback and mentorship and rate accordingly. It's far too overwhelming a task to predict and project what the unintended consequences of you doing the right thing will do compared to those who don't. If we all do this the system will delate and self correct on it's own. Pleas read betwwen the Chief's lines he can't do it we must in our own little shops and work centers. Cheers

SNCO retired, Robin AFB GA

4/18/2012 9:02:08 AM ET
I just separated a year ago and was always baffled by the EPR system. I could not give a sub-par troop a 4 because it would hurt their chances for promotion. Exactly Why would I want to promote a sub-par troop It is not fair to the troops they would be barely leading.

MD, Maryland

4/17/2012 2:31:06 PM ET
Chief I have to agree with you on all levels. Unfortunately though there is just too much weight put on a 5. That a 5 is good everything else is bad. If you aren't going to give your troop a 5 you have to justify it - at least where I work - I would like to see the system used properly but without a real change a policy change your words will fall on deaf ears.I have to agree with Paul - To give a troop a 3 or below requires all kinds of documentation extra reviews and fighting to get the low score. Change the process to make it that you must have additional documentation to justify a 1 2 or 5 score. This will naturally make the vast majority of raters to use scores of 3 and 4. A true 5 is worth the additional effort.And with Sgt Whoever - This is a good vision. It now needs to be backed up with concrete guidance that can be implemented at all levels. A good place to start would be rescinding the unofficial requirement to have firewall 5s to receive PCS medals and to

Chris, New Mexico

4/17/2012 12:07:22 PM ET
Although I agree with the leadership tidbits I disagree with the EPR focus. Let's call it what it is. The EPR is NOT a performance report it is a promotion report Until we get that straight and fix the system we will always have inflation. The best tool we have right now for true performance reporting is the feedback and we do a horrible job at that We need to make it more visible. I want to know that all of my Airmen and NCOs are getting feedbacks and if they are not they have been told to come see me. Let's quit blaming the over rating of EPRs on poor supervisors and blame it on the real problem the system itself

CMSgt B, JB Andrews

4/17/2012 11:44:35 AM ET
Whole Person Concept.I've felt for a long time that the best way to decrease inflation of the EPR system would be to provide the maximum amount of promotion points available for all EPRs graded 3 or above. Seems appropriate enough - If you meet the standard you get all points available. To help separate the the pack promotion-wise offer points for PT scores and High-level group or above quarterly and annual awards earned in the previous year. There should also be X promotion points offered for NCOs that have their CCAF completed. This would offer supervisors a lot more leverage to grade their people appropriately without the long-term effect to their career and still allow the cream to rise to the top.

MSgt Jackson, Keesler AFB MS

4/17/2012 11:02:01 AM ET
The answer is already in place. Take advantage of people's laziness. To give a troop a 3 or below requires all kinds of documentation extra reviews and fighting to get the low score. Change the process to make it that you must have additional documentation to justify a 1 2 or 5 score. This will naturally make the vast majority of raters to use scores of 3 and 4. A true 5 is worth the additional effort.

Paul, Hanscom

4/17/2012 8:24:04 AM ET
This is a good vision. It now needs to be backed up with concrete guidance that can be implemented at all levels. A good place to start would be rescinding the unofficial requirement to have firewall 5s to receive PCS medals and to have 5 EPRs go get special duty assignments.

Sgt Whoever, EPR Land

4/17/2012 2:50:12 AM ET
Great advice Chief. Like others say however I believe it falls on deaf ears. I said this many years ago while in ALS and low and behold it still holds true to this day EPRs will remain inflated so long as they are part of the WAPS score.In a dream world every supervisor Chief and commander in the AF would in unison right now say enough is enough. Lets do EES the way it was intended to be and call a 3 a 3 and a 5 a 5. Will that ever happen Fact is a supervisor isn't going to give an average Amn a 3 or 4 when he knows a worse performer is getting a 5 somewhere. It's not fair to Average Joe because Billy Bagodonuts now has a promotion advantage on him.Oh and Average Joe can kiss any hopes of a Dec away for a while...even if he gets 5s for the next 2-3 years. It's bad enough when we have to do a pushnote and cross our fingers for an Amn with a SINGLE markdown at some point..My question is 'Who isn't trying' I see bold leadership from NCO supervisors and

Some MSgt, Europe

4/17/2012 12:28:15 AM ET
Senior leadership forwarded your email Chief...thats about as far as it goes around here. When we start seeing senior leaders being held accountable for their actions or inaction then we might start seeing change...until then more of the same

G, EAFB

4/16/2012 7:16:27 PM ET
@Same you hit the nail right on the head. The AF had become more of a corporate based entity preaching metrics tiger teams and referring to our assests as a portfolio. While the Chief does have a great message the current climate is unlikely to change anytime soon. The AF WANTS more managers than leaders because managers are less inclined to question or try to change the corporation's policy. We have created a culture where being a yes man is the thing to be. I have heard the usual do something about it then Doing something about it usually not pretty and leads to career suicide. In order to put the Chief's perspective into practice a mass change of mindset and buy-in at all levels is required

Deja Vu, AF

4/16/2012 6:22:14 PM ET
There needs to be a mechanism to control inflation. The misconception that the AF is under is that supervisors just won't make the tough call. The truth is most of them admire trust and value their subordinates and WANT to see them promoted as quickly as possible. Also decorations have driven EPR inflation more than anything. Bob at Eglin has the right idea.

Chief ret, California

4/16/2012 6:08:16 PM ET
Any behavior we define as bold will not be displayed by everybody. If 20pct of NCO are bold we're punishing the 20pct of airmen who have actually been led boldly. 5 v 3 on 1 EPR is 13.5 points a WAPS hole so big 4 Comms won't fill it so yeah rating an airman fairly will hurt their career. Allowing a unit to write 95pct 5's is not bold leadership. Allowing no frame of reference for the 1-5 score vis-a-vis other unit EPR's or the rater's past ratings is not bold leadership. Telling junior NCO's from 150 different AFSC's to tackle this problem on their own is not bold leadership. Chief please be bolder than those who have been ignoring this problem for years. Ensuring airmen are trained and tasked are performed is my job driving the train on massive force-wide change is yours.

Intel NCO, Korea

4/16/2012 1:49:19 PM ET
The question to ask is Why do NCOsSNCOsCommanders still give everyone a 5 The answer has already been stated in the comments here If not that troop is hurt for promotion testing for the vast majority of their career. Indeed a 3 or 4 could quite possibly be around for that troop even after the rater who wrote it retires. Here's one way to address that concern Keep the WAPS score for EPRs exactly the same --only make that score for just one EPR the one for the current year. This way a leader can look their troop in the eye --during that feedback session perhaps theres a thought-- and say you're not ready...this year. Keep the 10 year EPR history where it belongs to select the best SNCOs to lead the Enlisted force. This idea negates the perceived concerns leaders have with the current promotion system and further empowers them to give honest relevant and most importantly current feedback. With any promotion system there will always be ways to game the syst

MSgt Retired, Texas

4/16/2012 1:20:01 PM ET
Leadership responsibly for all personnel ultimately lies with the Commander. In my opinion too often unit commanders abdicate their leadership responsibilities regarding unit enlisted affairs totally to their SNCOs without sufficient knowledge and understanding or leadership oversight of enlisted affairs. They blindly assume their SNCOsChiefs working through their separate AF enlisted channelsnetworks are doing what's best for the success of the mission organization and its enlisted personnel...while the intent is usually there this is not always the case. Commanders need to provide more than just passive support to rating and other enlisted processes. Leaders have to manage too and managers also have to lead...both have to work effectively as a TEAM towards common goals vision and missions

Ret. O, CO

4/16/2012 10:30:02 AM ET
Chief great article. I fear that it is falling on deaf ears though. You see once your message gets to the lowest level it has become a suspense that is hot and is just another box to check for daily briefings. The warrior ethos and all that accompanies it won't change the business climate that current officers have created. Preaching leadership doesn't change the environment from being number driven to people driven.

Same, Here

4/16/2012 10:24:50 AM ET
Make it PassFail through E4. For E5 and above there needs to be quota divied out at the senior rater level with fight clubs at every level of command to make sure that the best are getting 5s. Diminish the importance of promotion testing. Wacky AF Facts Test is the prime discriminator and that is just wrong. Bold leadership starts at the top. We need a viable system now not flowery words.

Bob, Eglin AFB FL

4/16/2012 3:14:35 AM ET
This feels like pushing a rope. When I hear a group of Chiefs state in unison that anyone with 4 EPR doesn't deserve a decoration -primarily PCS- then I have to counter their ignorance to game the system to ensure my brash yet brilliant technician receives the decoration he earned but is being held until his PCS. EPRs are not Dec's and vice versa read the AFIs. Stop picking the winners and losers in your mind and let the merits stand on their own.

SNCOatLarge, OCONUS

4/15/2012 7:28:09 PM ET
Most of what you have to say is valid and hopeful Chief However the real problem is empowerment. PME always pushes this empower your Airmen but very little empower is given to first line supervisors anymore. Most of our SSgt and TSgt supervisors are are fed crap from the old and crusty SNCO corps. Senior Enlisted Leaders often overstep their positions and take over disciplinary situations that were better left at the first line. Or just the opposite those same SELs are almost non-existent in the daily lives of their Airmen. I also see a lack of willingness by the SNCO corps to allow first line supervisors airmen and even other SNCOs to fail sometimes. That is how we learn and by always protecting others from failure we guarantee that very thing.

MSgt Today, Stuttgart Germany

4/15/2012 2:47:50 PM ET
Leadership is influence. Is yous positive or negative

dg, AZ

4/15/2012 8:10:41 AM ET
The leadership should stop getting busy making themselves look good that they forget their mission and enforcing order and discipline. Senior leadership are inundated with politics and looking good and appearing we care for the airmen we don't we only care about ourselves and what our fellow leaders say Don't forget we also care when we give tough love As children we tried to pit our parents against each other in order to get what we want. It is time to get in the same sheet of music and I am talking both the senior enlisted and officer corps

MA, Dobbins

4/14/2012 3:51:29 PM ET
Chief with the greatest of respect I must disagree. You're not going to fix the inflated EPR rating system with an email. The type of bold leadership you're describing is what it will take to overhaul how we document the performance of our Airmen something that is long overdue.Quotas are probably not the way to do it. On that we agree. But when you have the overwhelming majority of both the enlisted and officer force telling you the system needs a reset...it's time to hear and internalize that feedback.

Tony, Charleston

4/14/2012 12:38:43 PM ET
Without some teeth firewall 5s for all my friends.

BS, KS

4/14/2012 6:12:28 AM ET
I totally agree Chief The lower two tiers need to correct this behavior and I'll do my absolute best to support and mentor them. It's not like I got to where I am by rating my dear troops like this. Let's hold the Junior NCO's accountable.

Sharp SNCO, SWA

4/14/2012 5:01:59 AM ET
BLUF The Air Force needs more leaders and fewer managers. Leaders should seek conflict which is what this plan will bring. Unfortunately I still see our CommandersSEL giving Fives to all because it is easier than actually leading your NCOs to be directly involved with their airmen. We just do not have the leaders in this Air Force that the Little Brown Book strives for there are a few but they are outweighed by those who fail to act accordinly. This will also be an aspect that our next CMSAF will have to follow through with I wish Chief Roy would have strived for this earlier in his tenure.

Jeff, DC

4/13/2012 7:10:05 PM ET
Great message from the top. It's about time the message got out to NCO's that it's OK to lead your guys. Hopefully the micro-managers will stop meddling in my shop and let me rate and reward my people fairly. In other words TRUST me.

MSgtRAW, WPAFB

4/13/2012 4:07:07 PM ET
Good advice but someone has to be first to rate fairly and that is just not going to happen. It was a problem when I first came in 1972 and it was still a problem when I left in 1993. How about for a year take the evaluations out of the promotion process and then see how the airman are rated.

Edward, New Jersey

4/13/2012 3:20:21 PM ET
I see the Green light from the Chief now it is time for reality. Good message but can it be done in real time or is it impossible because of paperwork keeping all the SMSgt and SMSgt s at their desk. Time will tell but I hope for the sake of the younger generation this is a new start to lets work as a team and get er done. The attitudes and way of doing business can change with a good Leader by the sounds or tone of this message it appears you have that leadership and should do as he states.

SNCO Ret'89, Ohio

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