I was cleaning up some old files today and came across an old "NCOER Cheat Sheet" I used to use. It reminded me how ill-prepared I felt as a 2LT to write my first-ever NCOER for my Ranger-School-Honor-Grad platoon sergeant. What I ended up doing was having him write the NCOER, then I went back through and proofed it and turned it in. I rationalized this by saying that he knows best what he did, and he knows best what's going to get him promoted, so I'll just make sure the formatting and spelling are correct and everyone will be happy.
That was a cop-out. While it's important to include the rated NCO in the NCOER process, it is not the NCO's job to write his own evaluation. For one thing, most NCOs feel uncomfortable tooting their own horn about what they've done during the rating period, so the NCOER may not adequately capture the individual's performance during the rating period. More importantly, it's the officer's (commissioned or non-commissioned) responsibility to those he rates/senior rates to understand the duties and responsibilities of his subordinates, and his responsibility to the Army to give an honest evaluation so that the rated individual can be considered appropriately for positions, promotions and schooling.
With that in mind, I was hoping to ask for some input from board members, particularly NCOs, who have experience writing NCOERs to put their hints and vignettes here, so we can all learn from their experiences.
That was a cop-out. While it's important to include the rated NCO in the NCOER process, it is not the NCO's job to write his own evaluation. For one thing, most NCOs feel uncomfortable tooting their own horn about what they've done during the rating period, so the NCOER may not adequately capture the individual's performance during the rating period. More importantly, it's the officer's (commissioned or non-commissioned) responsibility to those he rates/senior rates to understand the duties and responsibilities of his subordinates, and his responsibility to the Army to give an honest evaluation so that the rated individual can be considered appropriately for positions, promotions and schooling.
With that in mind, I was hoping to ask for some input from board members, particularly NCOs, who have experience writing NCOERs to put their hints and vignettes here, so we can all learn from their experiences.
