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Chief Anderson discusses providing feedback to Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua Eikren
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  The August Professional Development Lunch with 375th Air Mobility Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Marty Anderson, was held in the Library Auditorium Aug. 23 at Scott Air Force Base.

Anderson spoke about the importance of feedback and provided insight on formal and informal feedback sessions.

"The Air Force is considering revising the Enlisted Performance Review form and having an overall rating system to control over inflation," said Anderson. "Due to over inflation, how do we know we're retaining and promoting the right folks?"

Not as many 5s and 4s will be earned in each rank, and Anderson said Airmen need to consider the rating will they receive. Anderson also said providing feedback for improvement is very important.

Feedback sessions within the rating period are initial, midterm, end-of-report, rater and ratee suggested.

"Knowing your Airmen and understanding how to give proper feedback provides Airmen the best chance to be successful as each person's performance and conduct is different. Feedback sessions are the best opportunity to improve performance by providing your expectations and standards."

Anderson said supervisors can be reluctant to give feedback, but they can overcome this reluctance by creating professional relationships. He said having the feedback helps Airmen grow and learn, creating a better force.

"Supervisors can use an acronym called SMART for setting expectations and goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timeliness.

"If you have standards and expectations that help the ratee understand what you expect, it is easier to see how the person is performing," he said.

Supervisors can also relay expectations to Airmen by developing a communication strategy about expectations and communicating the purpose of feedback. One method is creating an agenda for success.

Being proactive prepares Airmen for change, and he reinforced the importance of communication between supervisors and their Airmen.

"Our job as supervisors is setting Airmen up to be successful by getting them started on the right path."