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“You’re doing great” was all my first feedback said.
My rater thought I was doing great and needed no improvement. He was wrong.
Looking back, I know I needed improvement. I reflect on that every time I provide my subordinates feedback. Raters must give subordinates honest feedback. I focus on three main areas: overall expectations, areas of excellence and areas to improve. The bedrock of feedback is communicating expectations.
Airmen must know their rater’s expectations. Subordinates are evaluated according to rater expectations. Whether codified Air Force standards or day-to-day requirements, raters must clearly articulate their expectations. “I expect you to complete one leadership course per quarter” is an example of a specific minimum expectation.
Though it is important to be clear regarding your minimum expectations, it is just as important to let your subordinates know the minimum requirements for a “right-side” marking on their feedback. Let the subordinate know what you consider “exceeding” your expectations. Being specific makes it easy to determine the rating your subordinate earned. Since you have up to 60 days to evaluate your subordinate before writing the initial feedback you can identify where the member is already exceeding your expectations.
Everyone wants to know where they are excelling. It is disheartening to put tremendous effort into your work only to have that effort overlooked. Raters must acknowledge their subordinate’s great work. Raters must continually encourage people and work to provide a motivational atmosphere that inspires excellence. Though raters should never wait for “formal” feedback to show their appreciation, they must document subordinate excellence in formal feedback.
Acknowledging excellence is important, but raters also need to address improvement areas.
Everyone needs to know where they can improve. Raters are responsible for ensuring subordinates meet all expectations. Sometimes subordinates fail to meet expectations due to not fully understanding the expectation. This is when raters need to clarify their expectations. Raters may encounter a subordinate who understood the expectation but chose not to comply. In this case, the rater takes appropriate action to remedy the problem and rates the member accordingly.
Honest feedback makes it easy for the rater to objectively assess the member. Even when subordinates are exceeding expectations the rater can provide guidance for continual improvement.
“You’re doing great” meant a “firewall 5” to me, I was wrong. My eyes were opened when my performance report had markdowns. My rater explained I was “doing great” but could improve. It was my rater’s responsibility to provide me honest feedback (he didn’t) but it was my responsibility to seek it out when I knew I wasn’t getting it (I didn’t).
That is why I reminisce about my first feedback session every time I write a feedback. It is my responsibility to provide honest feedback. I do this by clearly articulating my expectations, identifying areas of excellence and addressing areas to improve. This formula lets my subordinates know exactly where they stand in meeting my expectations and makes it easy for me to objectively write honest performance reports.
