1-9 the  chain  of  command  doesn’t  care,  and  ignorance  of standards   can   all   lead   to   poor   performance.   Before jumping on your personnel, observe their work habits, see if they have an obvious problem, and then try to work with them to solve the problem. Occasionally, counseling is required. A good rule of thumb for these situations is to “correct in private and praise in public.” Practicing that   rule   will   help   you   avoid   embarrassing   your subordinates in front of their peers. Follow five basic guidelines to provide performance feedback: 1. Always praise good performance or correct poor performance as soon as possible; delay doesn't make a hard job any easier. 2. Praise in public; correct in private. 3. Look for the reason behind the action; find out why someone is not performing up to par. 4. If a problem exists, work with subordinates to solve the problem. If the problem is your fault, acknowledge and resolve the problem. 5. Try to be aware of what is going on with your workers; many times you can avoid problems if you see them coming. Always    remember    that    your    workers    are people.   If   you   treat   them   as   adults   and   show respect for them, you will be amazed at what they can accomplish. That does not  mean  you  should allow subordinates to run wild; you must insist on adherence   to   rules   and   regulations.   Last,   but definitely    not    least,    be    sure    to    praise    good performance. Positive recognition is one of the best motivators in a supervisor’s arsenal. EVALUATING PERFORMANCE One of the hardest tasks you will undertake as a new petty officer is the evaluation of people who just weeks ago  were  your  peers.  You  somehow  must  put  aside friendships    and    dislikes    and    present    an    honest, professional  opinion  of  a  person's  ability  to  perform assigned  tasks.  When  doing  that,  take   note   of   the successes,  failures,  and  complexity  of  the  tasks.  Was Seaman  Jones’  work  exceptional  because  of  a  100 percent success rate on easy jobs? While Seaman Smith was  successful  only  80  percent  of  the  time,  but  was performing tasks normally done by a petty officer? When comparing a person's performance to that of others, you will have to consider those facts. Your supervisors will occasionally call upon you (or you may find it necessary) to discuss the performance of your subordinates with your supervisors. Generally, that will happen on two  occasions.  First,  your  supervisors may request input for a formal performance evaluation or to clarify a worker's ability. When that situation arises, be completely honest with yourself  and  those  you  are evaluating. Don't let personal feelings and attitudes blur your professional judgment. Differences of opinion do not necessarily mean poor performance. Avoid reporting minor   problems   you   can   correct   yourself   through counseling and leadership. Second, you will need to seek help from your supervisor on occasions when you are unable to correct a performance or behavioral problem. You also will need to provide a performance evaluation to   your   superiors   for   such   occasions.   When   those occasions arise, hold a counseling session and document the  session.  Formal  performance  counseling  requires written statements of the problem or deficiency and the steps required to resolve the matter. Remember, the goal is to correct a problem; and the counseling session is to train,   direct,   and   help   the   subordinate   correct   the deficiency. You, as the supervisor or counselor, and the counselee sign the form acknowledging the steps to be taken to correct the deficiency. Then the form is placed in the individual's division or department file. CONFLICT RESOLUTION Sailors are capable of developing an almost infinite variety  of  problems,  which  may  or  may  not  be  job related. Sometimes friction arises between workers, or a personal problem causes workers to stop pulling their weight. Since these problems ultimately affect the job performance of all your subordinates, they should be of concern to you. In some cases, members may come to