Posted on Mar 17, 2015
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Should a junior ever be asked to write their own fitrep or award?
Personally, I am totally put off by the idea of people writing their own fitreps and awards. It cheapens their value and opens the door for embellishing one's accomplishments [which may or may not be praiseworthy]. A lazy reporting senior that is pressed for time might just be tempted to rubber stamp an inflated report through.
When you have to write your own award, it becomes less an award and more of a check in the block. It completely loses its impact and significance. As a young troop, I received a few meritorious masts and generally didn't know they were coming. So it was a pleasant surprise to be asked on formation day to step out of formation and line up with the award recipients. It felt good to have your hard work noticed and appreciated and a 96 was a nice way of getting back all those extra hours you put in... at least partially.
When I was a Sergeant, I was asked to write my own fitrep. I felt strange the first time I was asked to do it... [and unfortunately, it wasn't the last.] I personally felt that my higher ups were being lazy and pushing their work off on me, but I smiled and did it and impressed them. I didn't embellish anything I did and they could see I was dead on in my assessment of my own performance and they agreed with it. In fact, they gave me a better one than I gave myself.
I might could see if the command wants you to rate yourself to see if you are aware of your own strengths and weaknesses but shouldn't that be done in counseling sessions prior to the writing of the actual fitrep? It seems more likely that my reporting seniors were looking for a cure for their writers block.
When I got to be a reporting senior, I remembered how I felt being asked to write my own awards and fitreps and NEVER asked a junior to write their own award or fitrep. Occasionally I might ask my SNCO's to give me a list of bullet recommendations on their subordinates so that it was still me taking the trouble to do all the wordsmithing and actual writing of the award or fitrep. That's one of the things they pay the guys with college degrees and bling on their collars to do. Just my opinion. If you're a reporting senior, and you're pushing your responsibilities off on your subordinates, you're not earning your pay.
Personally, I am totally put off by the idea of people writing their own fitreps and awards. It cheapens their value and opens the door for embellishing one's accomplishments [which may or may not be praiseworthy]. A lazy reporting senior that is pressed for time might just be tempted to rubber stamp an inflated report through.
When you have to write your own award, it becomes less an award and more of a check in the block. It completely loses its impact and significance. As a young troop, I received a few meritorious masts and generally didn't know they were coming. So it was a pleasant surprise to be asked on formation day to step out of formation and line up with the award recipients. It felt good to have your hard work noticed and appreciated and a 96 was a nice way of getting back all those extra hours you put in... at least partially.
When I was a Sergeant, I was asked to write my own fitrep. I felt strange the first time I was asked to do it... [and unfortunately, it wasn't the last.] I personally felt that my higher ups were being lazy and pushing their work off on me, but I smiled and did it and impressed them. I didn't embellish anything I did and they could see I was dead on in my assessment of my own performance and they agreed with it. In fact, they gave me a better one than I gave myself.
I might could see if the command wants you to rate yourself to see if you are aware of your own strengths and weaknesses but shouldn't that be done in counseling sessions prior to the writing of the actual fitrep? It seems more likely that my reporting seniors were looking for a cure for their writers block.
When I got to be a reporting senior, I remembered how I felt being asked to write my own awards and fitreps and NEVER asked a junior to write their own award or fitrep. Occasionally I might ask my SNCO's to give me a list of bullet recommendations on their subordinates so that it was still me taking the trouble to do all the wordsmithing and actual writing of the award or fitrep. That's one of the things they pay the guys with college degrees and bling on their collars to do. Just my opinion. If you're a reporting senior, and you're pushing your responsibilities off on your subordinates, you're not earning your pay.
Posted in these groups: 
Leadership
Awards
Leadership Awards
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 34
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Two schools of thought:
1) Taking the time to write your subordinate's eval/award is a part of "taking care" of your people. You are evaling them, it's up to you to get it written.
2) There is real training value in having a subordinate learn to write evals by writting their own. You have to learn how to do it sometime, might as well start on your own. Who knows better what you have done than you?
I've taken both approaches in the past and both are valid. However, if I have a subordinate draft their own, I always have my own version drafted as well with MY observations and I "compare notes" and will ultimately edit the final version to accurately reflect the rating. The biggest issues is that subordinates will often over-inflate their accomplishments, so as a rater, you still have to review and edit.
1) Taking the time to write your subordinate's eval/award is a part of "taking care" of your people. You are evaling them, it's up to you to get it written.
2) There is real training value in having a subordinate learn to write evals by writting their own. You have to learn how to do it sometime, might as well start on your own. Who knows better what you have done than you?
I've taken both approaches in the past and both are valid. However, if I have a subordinate draft their own, I always have my own version drafted as well with MY observations and I "compare notes" and will ultimately edit the final version to accurately reflect the rating. The biggest issues is that subordinates will often over-inflate their accomplishments, so as a rater, you still have to review and edit.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sir, on point 2) something we always did was solicit feedback regarding the next junior man. Every Marine is a leader of someone being the philosophy.
I definitely see your point however, but using it I would almost caution the SM that it was an instructional technique in advance. Perhaps doing it on the semi-annual instead of the annual?
I definitely see your point however, but using it I would almost caution the SM that it was an instructional technique in advance. Perhaps doing it on the semi-annual instead of the annual?
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SGT Jim Z.
LTC Paul Labrador excellent school of thought and I employed number 2 as well with my Soldiers. I know from first hand experience that writing your own evaluation is difficult not to make yourself out to be the best thing to slice bread.
Honestly, when I was a SPC I my direct supervisor was a G12 who said he wrote enough Fitreps in his naval career he was would sign just about anything I wrote on my 4856 each month. Yes I tried to say I walked on water but it just is not easy if you have any ethics.
Honestly, when I was a SPC I my direct supervisor was a G12 who said he wrote enough Fitreps in his naval career he was would sign just about anything I wrote on my 4856 each month. Yes I tried to say I walked on water but it just is not easy if you have any ethics.
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LTC Paul Labrador
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS, the techique of having to write your own eval/award, I would generally not use for very junior officers or NCOs. But for more experienced 1LT or CPT, this would be a valid technique.
Further, not sure how the Marines do their evals, but teh Army uses support forms where the rated individual provides the bullets and data that builds the eval. Even if i am going to write the eval totally myself, I tell my Soldier to write the bullets as if he were writing his own eval.
Further, not sure how the Marines do their evals, but teh Army uses support forms where the rated individual provides the bullets and data that builds the eval. Even if i am going to write the eval totally myself, I tell my Soldier to write the bullets as if he were writing his own eval.
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I see nothing wrong with this but am always stuck using a better word than "godlike" for abilities and "beyond human ability" for leadership on my own NCOER.
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CDR Mike Kovack
I agree MSG.....if I'm given that opportunity then "godlike" and "beyond human ability" will be appearing. It always amused me when folks wrote up their on fitreps and they were mediocre!!!
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MSG David Chappell
CD-R I once gave a squad leader the bullet "converts O2 to CO2 without direction or supervision'
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It's the leader's responsibility, ultimately, but that's also how one learns to write them appropriately. I didn't see the value of it when I was more junior, and ridiculed the idea of writing my own. However, the main way I learned how to write them well was when my reporting seniors required me to draft ready for signature. It teaches attention to detail and the ability to write them for your people when the time comes. My standard is that E7 and O3 and above should be able to write a sig-ready award/report.
Also, no one knows you better than yourself, and by being thorough in your draft, you oftentimes include data that your seniors are not aware of - or may have lost track of.
That shouldn't be the end of it, though. A good leader will take that draft and make it better - and/or more accurate.
Also, no one knows you better than yourself, and by being thorough in your draft, you oftentimes include data that your seniors are not aware of - or may have lost track of.
That shouldn't be the end of it, though. A good leader will take that draft and make it better - and/or more accurate.
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LCDR (Join to see)
I agree with you CAPT (Join to see) and as I said that was my experience with the addition of O-1/2 because I was a prior. I never really minded and still felt that my COC valued me and as far as the awards go I really did not need them to make rank as an officer they are more important to the senior enlisted.
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CAPT (Join to see)
Yep, agree on mustangs. They should be capable as well. And it takes forever for most to learn the instruction too.
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