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, he 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 leader 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  you  with  their  problems.  In other cases, you will have to recognize the existence of a problem and discover its nature on your own. You should be able to recognize changes in behavior that often   signal   problems.   Some   indicators   of   an individual’s  need  for  help  may  be  declining  job performance, changes in attitude, or withdrawal from friends and associates. Difficulty getting to work on time,   constant   demands   on   a   leader’s   time,   and rebellion  against  authority  or  the  system  in  general often indicate personal problems. Do you remember the old saying about 20 percent of the people causing 80 percent of the problems? You can expect to spend 80 percent to 90 percent of your “personnel admin” time on 20 percent of the people. Your job as a leader is to get   100   percent   team   effort   from   your   assigned workers. In the following section you will read about counseling methods that will not only help to resolve conflicts but also assist in other areas where counseling is needed. COUNSELING Counseling is a tool a leader uses to help a person explore,  better  understand,  and  find  solutions  to  a problem. You may be involved with four major types of advising and counseling sessions: ·   Personal ·   Career ·   Performance ·   Disciplinary 1-11 Q9. Which of the following is not an acceptable sign of appreciation for a job well done? 1. A simple pat on the back 2. Promising an award 3. Positive counseling sheet 4. Meritorious captain’s mast Q10. What type of feedback is given when job performance standards are not being met? 1. Positive 2. Constructive 3. Evaluative 4. Disciplinary REVIEW QUESTIONS