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1st Sergeants’ Corner
Fix the EPR system!
But why? It’s not broken, we are. When we don’t rate our subordinates truthfully we are doing them and the Air Force a disservice. Supervisors are concerned that if they rate their Airmen anything less than a 5 they are hurting the Airman’s career. But if the Airman isn’t concerned about doing less than a “clearly exceeds,” then why should the supervisor worry about giving it?
The person really being hurt is the Airman doing the actual fire wall 5 work — the Airman who is getting the job done by going to school, volunteering and staying fit. They are the ones we can always count on and the ones making a difference in the Air Force.
Not everyone can fit this mold and that’s OK because “meets” and “above average” are not dirty words we should be afraid of.
So how do we fix this? We start by being completely honest with the feedback, telling Airmen what we expect of them, where they really stand, and what they need to do to get the 5 they want. And when they don’t, we rate them for their actual performance, not the performance we were hoping to get, but the one the Airman did. Remember, Integrity First, Service before Self and Excellence in All We Do includes EPRs.
It’s important to be honest with our Airmen, to be truthful in their career and give them the chance to improve their performance and to give the true fire wall 5 Airmen the recognition they deserve. We need to stop worrying about what the other supervisors are giving their Airmen and “be the change you want to see in the world” (Gandhi). We don’t need to fix the system, we need to fix ourselves.
Civil Engineers’ Corner
Reserve your flower vouchers
KMC Family Housing residents are eligible to receive a flower voucher redeemable at Ramstein’s KMCC AAFES Outdoor Garden Center. The voucher can be used for purchases up to $35 for outdoor plants, potting soil and/or standard planter trays. To reserve your voucher, e-mail the KMC Housing Office at Johnny.Alvarado1@ramstein.af.mil and provide your name,building/apartment number and telephone contact number, or call housing facilities at 0631-536-7108 between Thursday and April 30.
Voucher requests will be accepted through April 30 and each participant will receive theirs via e-mail on May 1. After printing it, take your voucher to the garden center between May 1 and 31.
Fall hazards
With warmer weather upon us, do you leave your windows open? Are you aware of the fall hazards associated with windows in your multi-story building and the fact that your screens are not designed to withstand even small children from falling through them? If not, here are a few simple steps to ensure the safety of you and your family.
• Do not leave a child unattended in a room with open windows.
• Do not allow children to sit or play on your window ledges.
• Do not place any item near the window that a child could climb on to access the window.
The Housing U-Fix-It Stores also have safety devices for windows.
