One of the toughest things for a leader to do is to ensure that all subordinates are properly recognized for a job well done. It’s not that it is hard to acknowledge good work. The tough part is making sure that there is equity. In the Army this is extremely tough. All awards have to go through an approval process with the chain-of-command. Most of the time the process is very subjective because soldiers awards recommendations are reviewed by people they’ve never met (or served with). Although the Army would never admit this, there are also quotas for every unit that deploys that limits the number of specific awards that can be earned. For example, the cap on Bronze Star Medals may be 10% for each unit. If a soldier earned the award but the quota has been reached it means a guarantee “downgrade” of the award to something less. It’s very stressful for leaders who care sincerely for the well-being of their soldiers. This is shaping up to be a very stressful week for me. I’ve been spending the entire day writing award recommendations for my soldiers.
You might be wondering why I’m writing awards now. After all, there are several months left for the deployment. The answer is that the chain-of-command has time requirements for the approval process. I have to have awards submitted in accordance with the suspense date I’ve been provided. In my case, that date falls over my R&R. I’m not about to work over R&R. Therefore, I’m getting these award recommendations completed now. It’s stressful because I have to be very meticulous in documentation of facts while writing recommendations in strong enough wording to be convincing. I basically have to sell the recommended award to people in my chain-of-command I’ve never met. I firmly believe in what I recommend for my soldiers. They work hard, have incredible morale, and are an absolute joy to be around. It would be gut-wrenching to me if one of my soldiers was not properly rewarded for his performance. Yet, once I submit my recommendations I have no further control. They’ll be approved (or denied) by people I don’t know.
This is what occupied my time today. Some of you reading this have been in my shoes and know exactly what I’m referring to. For everything I’ve put up with so far in this deployment, this is by far the most stressful week I’ve had. It comes right before R&R. Shit that first beer couldn’t be better timed! Next week I’m going to be on easy street without cares.
Once I get these awards completed and forwarded I can only pray. I will too. I will pray for their approval. I will pray my soldiers continue to stay safe over my R&R. I will pray that God continues to see us through to the end of our deployment without incident. His guiding hand has worked to perfection this far.
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