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 3 y ago
Responses: 12
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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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