Promotion system needs guidelines, dates, and followup

[Eclipse]

As eServices gets upgraded, NHQ needs to add folow-up requirements to the promotion system.

I would suggest:

1) Email notification 90 days in advance of a member's eligible date, with a follow-up on the date, and every 14 days thereafter.
1a) Those emails should be sent to the commander at every echelon involved in a respective grade.

2) Regulatory guidance on the time to approve / deny a promotion once submitted and email reminders every 14 days
when a promotion is in queue.

3) Reports that impact a unit's SUI and wing's CI grade of members eligible for promotion who have been not been submitted,
and also for submitted promotions not acted upon within the specified time period.

I would argue that 14 days per echelon is more then reasonable,  - the vast majority of promotions will be approved with no discussion,
and as you move up to higher HQ, the quantity is dropped dramatically, so there's no manpower issue. I am not of the "automatic school",
but it is detrimental to mission and motivation to let people hang for months to years with no indication if they will ever get promoted,
nor where things are sitting.

The only thing worse then not promoting a deserving, invested and involved member is having that same member see other members' promotions
fly through the system simply because of proximity to the approver. 

This is another baseline issue that could be fixed easily but which has been a problem for nearly everyone I know in CAP for the entirety of
the time I've been a member.

[Storm Chaser]

I agree. I've seen many members not get promoted because they either didn't know that they qualified for a promotion or they didn't know what they needed to do to qualify for one. This is especially true for new members.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

I basically sailed through 2nd LT, 1st LT and Captain.

Of course, I then had a wing commander who was my former squadron commander and he was on top of anything.

My current difficulties with promotion to Major (which Eclipse is trying to help me with, God bless 'im) are documented elsewhere.

[rmutchler]

The only thing I would add on there is to email the member 90 days out too.  This would be beneficial for those members that need to schedule a promotion board to qualify for their new rank.

[LGM30GMCC]

As eServices gets upgraded, NHQ needs to add folow-up requirements to the promotion system.

I would suggest:

1) Email notification 90 days in advance of a member's eligible date, with a follow-up on the date, and every 14 days thereafter.
1a) Those emails should be sent to the commander at every echelon involved in a respective grade.

I think a notification to the member at 90 days out, and to the personnel officer...rather than the commander at the 90 day point. (Reread 35-5 Para 1-8) It's the primary responsibility of an immediate supervisor and the personnel officer (or others designated by the commander) to initiate the promotion action. At the 90 day out mark the personnel officer can ping the supervisor and start the process.

I do not think an e-mail to every echelon is necessary to the best either. In the case of Captains and Majors that is a lot of e-mails to the Wing Commander.  I also think every 14 days is excessive especially since that is a guaranteed 6 emails before the person can even be submitted for promotion. That could quickly add up to a lot of e-mails about something that can't even happen for 90 more days. I would say one maybe 90, or more realistically 30 days out.

2) Regulatory guidance on the time to approve / deny a promotion once submitted and email reminders every 14 days
when a promotion is in queue.

Again...maybe an e-mail. Perhaps better a report of 'Members with submitted promotion requests'. There is regulatory guidance that "The  promotion board should meet frequently enough to assure timely consideration of recommendations received." (CAPR 35-5 para 1-10a) One could make a reasonable argument that 'quarterly' meets this intent. And that's if it's cut and dry and the wing hasn't asked for more than the bare minimum supporting documentation. (Fully qualified)

3) Reports that impact a unit's SUI and wing's CI grade of members eligible for promotion who have been not been submitted, and also for submitted promotions not acted upon within the specified time period.

Failure to submit...maybe. Though there has to be a way for commanders to say 'The person is eligible by all qualifications...however I am invoking the right to deny it as laid out in CAPR 35-5' I would have it be more a question on the SUI of HOW the unit does it. What their process is. Heck there might even be one to that effect.

I would argue that 14 days per echelon is more then reasonable,  - the vast majority of promotions will be approved with no discussion,

I wonder if perhaps this isn't a problem we have? Should there be a little more discussion as people move up? Do you have someone who has been promoted based on AE or something else but aren't doing anything like that? I can understand the desire to keep things moving, but I would say 30 days is a bit more reasonable.

and as you move up to higher HQ, the quantity is dropped dramatically, so there's no manpower issue.

There shouldn't be, however there often is. The number of people holding multiple unit, wing, and possibly region positions is sizable. These things should be given due consideration and not just shot gunned through while trying to take on whatever else needs to be done. This is a personnel problem for CAP as a whole, but there are manpower issues, you just may not see them in your larger wing.

I am not of the "automatic school",
but it is detrimental to mission and motivation to let people hang for months to years with no indication if they will ever get promoted, nor where things are sitting.

The only thing worse then not promoting a deserving, invested and involved member is having that same member see other members' promotions fly through the system simply because of proximity to the approver. 

This is another baseline issue that could be fixed easily but which has been a problem for nearly everyone I know in CAP for the entirety of
the time I've been a member.

I can agree to some extent, however I think it is likely more of a problem with your specific experience. If someone's folks aren't getting promoted it's the job of the commander to get involved and start poking bigger commanders with progressively bigger sticks.

My experience is I have never had any problem getting my folks getting promoted, even in special and odd cases in requesting waivers. It sounds like you have a local, wing, or region issue.

All that being said, it is something to take into consideration and your concerns are agreed with (in principle) and it is something to be taken into consideration. I know in RMR we are balancing the desire for steady promotions and making sure that DESERVING members get promoted while those who perhaps aren't quite so much aren't and are given the feedback they need to get there.

[Eclipse]

I agree that this is a Personnel responsibity, but my experience has been that less then 1/3rd of the units in a wing actually have a Personnel officer,
and probably only 1/3rd of those are actually doing it "right".  The other either have triple-tracked members or the CC is doing it.

By every echelon, I meant that in regards to approving authority.  Lts never get passed the unit, Captains Group, Majors, wing, Lt Cols get messages all the way to region.  The majority will be well below field-grade.  I would hazard the average wing doesn't push up more then 10 Lt Cols a year, and
probably no more then 20 majors, and those tend to be cyclical (meaning an active "class" comes up basically together, but the waves aren't consistent.

And the point of this is that it is "intrusive". Want the messages to stop?  Act on the promotion, or find out downstream why they aren't getting done.

One more box could be added to the promotions module could be for "denied", and another could be "under consideration" - those would slow the emails down to maybe every 30 days. 

The reality is that this should not be a burden for anyone, no matter the echelon, if they were all doing their jobs, but more importantly, and sadly, at our current strength, there simply aren't that many promotions annually in the entire wing that they should ever be delayed, especially when you consider  that there are no issues of budget, billet, cur scores, or anything close.

[Eclipse]

Or perhaps, a big perhaps, all promotions should be automatic unless otherwise acted upon to disapprove?
Or automatic but provisional?

It would give us essentially the same situation as today, but negate the delays and omissions of inadequate commanders while still
allowing for a channel to withhold.

Because seriously, considering the current state of the grades, how many people are in CAP who are at once, unworthy of promotion, but
worthy of continued membership? 

Even in the case of marginal performers, the only members I've ever seen who should not have been promoted, were ongoing problem
children who should have been terminated long before.

[Pylon]

The emails every 14 days would have been really annoying.  I didn't submit my promotion to Capt for about 1.5 to 2 years after it was earned because it wouldn't have been approved in that command climate at the time.  I didn't submit my promotion to Major until well after it was earned as well.  That would have been a heck of a lot of emails.

[Eclipse]

The emails every 14 days would have been really annoying.  I didn't submit my promotion to Capt for about 1.5 to 2 years after it was earned because it wouldn't have been approved in that command climate at the time.  I didn't submit my promotion to Major until well after it was earned as well.  That would have been a heck of a lot of emails.

OK - but again, that's the point. There shouldn't be a "command climate" in regards to promotions, that's ridiculous in our paradigm.
In a system like this one, there'd be no choice but to act on the promotions, one way or another, and that daylight, in and of itself,
would cause some change.

Members should be granted the respect of being denied if their commanders deem them unworthy, along with the risk that they
will feel unfairly treated and leave, or file a complaint.

Honestly, I think making people hang in limbo, having to walk on eggshells or avoid the conversation is more detrimental then
a simple denial.  If you deny a promotion, you need to have a good reason, or risk a complaint, but "limbo" lets these things
go on for years. 

When they are discussing retention factors, if this isn't high on the list, it needs to be.

[PHall]

Just because somebody is eligible for promotion doesn't mean they deserve to be promoted.
CAP does not have an Up or Out program...

[Eclipse]

Just because somebody is eligible for promotion doesn't mean they deserve to be promoted.

I said exactly that above, however they do deserve the respect of being denied officially, or at least know the status of the request.

[LGM30GMCC]

And again...you want 6 emails sent to the Squadron, (group), and wing COMMANDER before the person is even eligible for promotion. Seriously? How many is the average group or wing commander going to get with no way to shut them off? If you submit a promotion 90 days before you're eligible...you're going to be denied. Unless there is some way to do a promotion effective on X date. But hey...that doesn't jive with the Reg, so you can't do that.

I 100% DISAGREE with automatically approved unless denied. No way, no how. You think we have a problem with people feeling 'entitled' now?

I feel for ya Eclipse, yes...it sucks that some people are getting held up. That is a command problem though, not a system problem. I think you are trying to fix the wrong root cause.

[Eclipse]

And as long as you bring it up, please provide a single legitimate reason for denying a member a promotion, assuming that their PD is complete and
they have no pending adverse personnel actions.

To assist legitimate cause cannot include:

Requirements to hold office at a higher echelon (or any other objective criteria).

The ubiquitous "isn't ready", since that is meaningless in our paradigm.

[Eclipse]

And again...you want 6 emails sent to the Squadron, (group), and wing COMMANDER before the person is even eligible for promotion. Seriously?

Where are you getting six? 

And to move this discussion forward, it doesn't have to be the commander, it should be to a relevant staffer.

[LGM30GMCC]

Sorry, misread your proposal as one at 90 days, and every 14 days there after.

1 to the personnel officer at 90 days, 1 at the day of. But there has to be a way to turn it off it is denied by even the unit CC.

Hard to see how to set it up to make it really work out.

[Eclipse]

1 to the personnel officer at 90 days, 1 at the day of. But there has to be a way to turn it off it is denied by even the unit CC.

Everything stops at the point any echelon denies it, all parties are notified, and nothing more happens until it is resubmitted at some level.

A member can act on a denial - whether that means remediation of the problems indicated, complaint, or simply deciding to spend his time elsewhere,
but you can't make any decisions based on "limbo", which is where many members find themselves, and which cause some to choose the "time elsewhere" option anyway.

Leaving people in limbo also reduces the overall organizational trust so critical to the CAP's success.  I don't think you'll find anyone with exposure outside their local unit who doesn't know somebody, and probably more then a few somebodies, who has been unnecessarily or unfairly held back for no other reason then administrative failings.  Backdating doesn't fix this, either.

I will admit that I've had more then a few Capts and above cross my desk for signature - the ones yo know are easy, either way, but the ones who
are marginal players, but members in good standing are the challenge - which do you choose, a relatively meaningless "board", or expediency?  Neither
is a good choice for the organization.  And that doesn't even account for the actual mistakes and commanders with divided attention who won't act until
pressed.

[JeffDG]

And as long as you bring it up, please provide a single legitimate reason for denying a member a promotion, assuming that their PD is complete and
they have no pending adverse personnel actions.

To assist legitimate cause cannot include:

Requirements to hold office at a higher echelon (or any other objective criteria).

The ubiquitous "isn't ready", since that is meaningless in our paradigm.

Well, that's pretty simple, the pre-requisites for promotion are spelled out, including:

"(4) Be performing in an exemplary manner meriting promotion to the grade recommended."

[Eclipse]

"(4) Be performing in an exemplary manner meriting promotion to the grade recommended."

Fair enough, with two caveats.

If they are not performing an an exemplary manner, why are they not being disciplined?
In a CAP context, "exemplary" generally means not being a PITA, there are no other expectations set by most commanders.

And what is a Wing or Region going to know about a member they have never met, that would negatively influence their decision when a promotion
has already been approved at a unit and Group level by people who likely have personal, regular  contact with the member?

That's a big part of this - there's literally no expectation or requirement of higher HQ service, no billeting, etc., yet field grade promotions, especially,
are scrutinized as if there were, and with no real time constraints on the consideration, despite the fact that people who actually know the member already said "yes".

Remember, I'm not advocating automatic promotions, I'm advocating required action on the requests, with ramifications for all parties depending on
their decisions.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Or perhaps, a big perhaps, all promotions should be automatic unless otherwise acted upon to disapprove?
Or automatic but provisional?

It would certainly take some configuring at National to automatically green-light the person's TIG, PD, and to red-flag if they have any behavioural/discipline issues that have been formally reported.

[JeffDG]

"(4) Be performing in an exemplary manner meriting promotion to the grade recommended."

Fair enough, with two caveats.

If they are not performing an an exemplary manner, why are they not being disciplined?
In a CAP context, "exemplary" generally means not being a PITA, there are no other expectations set by most commanders.

And what is a Wing or Region going to know about a member they have never met, that would negatively influence their decision when a promotion
has already been approved at a unit and Group level by people who likely have personal, regular  contact with the member?

That's a big part of this - there's literally no expectation or requirement of higher HQ service, no billeting, etc., yet field grade promotions, especially,
are scrutinized as if there were, and with no real time constraints on the consideration, despite the fact that people who actually know the member already said "yes".

Remember, I'm not advocating automatic promotions, I'm advocating required action on the requests, with ramifications for all parties depending on
their decisions.

You have a funny way of defining "exemplary".

Exemplary would exceed satisfactory performance, and satisfactory performance is not cause for discipline.

As for how would wing know...it's up to the recommending commander to establish the reasons for the promotion.  If the unit commander just says "Yep, has met the PD and TIG requirements" and nothing else, then that does not meet the language of the regulation.