RECOMMENDING SUBORDINATES FOR COLLATERAL DUTIES

Prepare written input in the form of a memorandum from yourself to the responsible party in your chain of command via your division officer and department head. Again, a written input should reflect a sincere interest in the betterment of the command as a whole. From there it will go through your department, to the command master chief, and then to the executive officer, all of whom will submit their recommen- dations. It will finally go to your commanding officer, who will give final approval or disapproval. RECOMMENDING SUBORDINATES FOR COLLATERAL DUTIES Recommending personnel for collateral duties is one way you can develop your subordinates’ ability to function in different skill environments. That type of development will help your sub- ordinates during all phases of advancement in their naval career. You can use two methods of recommending subordinates for collateral duties: 1. Verbal 2. Written VERBAL Give verbal recommendations for the assignment of subordinates to duties within the command level such as command master-at-arms force or mess decks master-at-arms. The departments involved usually arrange these collateral duties. WRITTEN Make written recommendations when the collateral duty involves a subordinate being temporarily assigned to work in another command and temporary additional duty (TAD) orders. Send a copy of the member’s most recent evaluation to the receiving command as evidence that the person is capable and deserving of a chance to fill the collateral billet. RECOMMENDING SUBORDINATES FOR AWARDS AND RECOGNITION One of your easiest and most rewarding tasks will be to give rewards for good performance; yet, it is easily neglected. You can give different types of recognition. You can recognize good performance with rewards such as special liberty, permission to sleep late, and more time for noon chow. For subordinates who show extra dedication, you should go that extra mile by recommending them for awards or recognition. TYPE OF RECOGNITION You can recommend subordinates for five types of recognition: 1. Petty officer and Sailor of the Quarter/ Year 2. Letter of Appreciation 3. Letter of Commendation 4. Navy Achievement Medal 5. Meritorious Advancement You must recommend subordinates for some of these awards in writing. However, just because you exercise the initiative to send in a recommendation doesn’t mean it will be ap- proved. That is why you must write strong and convincing recommendations. Your recommenda- tions must convince other leaders in the chain of command that your subordinates truly stand out from their peers and deserve the award. WRITTEN FORMAT Writing subordinates’ accomplishments in bullet format can make your recommendation stronger. A bullet format is more effective because it cuts out all the colorful phrases and gets to the point. AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF A LEADING PETTY OFFICER (LPO) Authority is granted only to support you in carrying out your assigned duties and responsi- bilities. Authority falls into two categories: GENERAL and ORGANIZATIONAL. All of- ficer and petty officers have the general authority needed to fulfill their duties and responsibilities by virtue of their positions within the Navy organization. Individuals have the organizational authority needed to fulfill their duties and responsibilities by virtue of assignment to a specific billet within an organizational subunit of the Navy (ship, station, staff, and so forth). 2-28