FITNESS REPORT AND EVALUATION WRITING

1. FITNESS REPORT AND EVALUATION WRITING PERFORMANCE PREPARATION PERSUASION = PROMOTION CAPT Sean J. Coleman

2. THIS BRIEFING IS UNCLASSIFIED

3. THIS SHOULD BE YOUR CAREER GOAL

4. REASON WEWRITE FITREPS • MARKETING BROCHURES about you from the writer to the promotion board. • To view them as anything else is to do yourself and the people you are writing on a disservice

5. PERFORMANCE • Most important of the four Ps. • Without Performance, Preparation and Persuasion Won’t Help You.

6. PERFORMANCE • First and foremost -- You need to be a top-notch performer. Anything less will not suffice. • You need to plan the year. • You need to set goals: year, rank and career.

7. PERFORMANCE • All Ranks (E1 to O6) Must Seek DIFFICULT AND CHALLENGING LEADERSHIP POSITIONS and Collateral Duties. • You need to separate yourself from your peers.

8. PERFORMANCE • As a LCDR / E5 and below you need to be the “go to” technical expert. • As a LCDR / E6 and above you need to be in some type of leadership position.

9. GOALS • THINK FIVE YEARS OUT. What do you need to do to make the next rank? • Pick a goal for yourself and SELL it to your chain of command.

10. GOALS • Junior Officer of the Year / Sailor of the Year. • Sailor of the Quarter • Department Head / LPO. • Make the goal fit your current rank but do not sell yourself short.

11. PREPARATION • LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP – each bullet talks to LEADERSHIP. • Critical to your success! We are leaders first! • In some ways harder than Performance. • Have to stop and write it down.

12. PREPARATION • Write your Fitrep / Eval at the beginning of the year – make it your goals statement. • Write down your accomplishments each month. • Start your fitness report draft early. It is easy to tell those members who have put effort into their draft.

13. PREPARATION • Write it. Re-write it. Re-write it. And then, Re-write it again! • It is easier for the chain of command to edit a good draft than to start from scratch with nothing or a poorly drafted input.

14. PREPARATION • Give us a final product you would want briefed to a selection board. • This process does not reduce the responsibility of your chain of command to re-write your FITREP / EVAL again!

15. PREPARATION • Don’t be afraid to buy a book to help you with phrasing. • Writing aids are acceptable -- writing a good report is hard work.

16. PERSUASION • Toughest because you are talking about yourself. • Keep your audience in mind. • Short declarative sentences are best. • Active Voice

17. PERSUASION • You have to stand out from the other Officers / Sailors before the board to get promoted. • FITREPS / EVALS are MARKETING TOOLS for me – I tell the Navy who to retain, who to promote, who to make a CO or Chief.

18. PERSUASION Three avenues of persuasion: • EP, MP or Promote • Your Grades • The Textual Content of the FITREP Normally in that order!

19. EARLY, MUST, OR PROMOTE RATED EARLY MUST 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 4 1 1/2 (E-6 2) 5 1 1/2 (E-6-9/O-3/4) 6 2 1/2 (E-6 2)

20. GRADES • 3.0 is a member doing their job well; 4.0 is a member consistently above standards; 5.0 does not exist, 4.0 is very hard to get. • You can be ranked from a NOB to a 5.0 on each category. • A 3.3 grade average for a E-6 / LT / LCDR is a superior report. • My average is the important number, not your average. You want to be above my line.

21. GRADES • AVERAGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE GRADE ITSELF. • Three Averages: • Your Overall Average • Reporting Seniors Rank Average - Historical • Reporting Seniors Rank Average for This Reporting Period

22. RANKINGS • Murder Board. • I have the final say on all grades but we expect you to provide the chain of command with an input.

23. RATED CATEGORIES • Officer/Chief FITREP Categories: • Professional Expertise • Equal Opportunity • Military Bearing/Character • Teamwork • Mission Accomplishment • Leadership • Tactical Performance

24. RATED CATEGORIES • E1-E6 Evaluation Categories • Professional Knowledge • Quality of Work • Equal Opportunity • Military Bearing/Character • Personal Job Accomplishment/Initiative • Teamwork • Leadership

25. TEXTUAL DATA • LEADERSHIP in every bullet – if deserved • FACTUALLY-BASED BULLETS. Do not BURY the data in verbiage. Give quantitative data if available. • For each category provide the chain of command with 2-3 bullets.

26. TEXTUAL DATA • Write the whole FITREP/EVAL: • Opening • Validation of Grades • Closing

27. OPENING • MUST BE UPBEAT, POSITIVE. MUST SELL THE MEMBER • Most important part of text section.

28. OPENING • LCDR XX has every quality one could hope for in a Naval Officer. HE IS A FUTURE COMMANDING OFFICER. I rank him number one of my twelve LCDRs.

29. OPENING • XXX is a superb naval officer/petty officer in every respect. In this reporting period he has made a lasting contribution to the success of XXX. Personally selected by me to develop a plan of action for the development of ...

30. OPENING • XXX is an exceptional naval officer. In this reporting period she has made a significant contribution to the success of XXX. She continually exhibits initiative, leadership, and a highly professional and positive approach to all aspects of unit management.

31. VALIDATION OF GRADES • The following comments pertain to Above Standard/Greatly Exceeds Standards for specific performance traits; or • Among her accomplishments which support my assessment of her performance in Block XX.

32. VALIDATION OF GRADES • 35. (Military Bearing/Character) -- Completed his annual PRT with a grade of outstanding. • 37. (Personal Job Accomplishment) -- She has provided critical support to the timely production of the World-wide Carrier Study, more than any other officer in this command.

33. VALIDATION OF GRADES • 38. (Teamwork) -- Took the lead in planning the unit family picnic. • If you are better than everyone else, tell us so we can tell the Board.

34. CLOSING • The expert leadership XXX continued to display resulted in an extremely high degree of success for the unit and the gaining command. He has demonstrated that he is ready for assignments of greater responsibility. XXX is most highly recommended for immediate promotion.

35. CLOSING • XXX is highly motivated and an excellent leader. He is most highly recommended for immediate promotion to XXX. • XXX is most highly recommended for immediate promotion to Chief Petty Officer and retention in the Naval Reserve.

36. MEDALS/AWARDS

37. MEDALS/AWARDS • If you received a personal award during the reporting period, mention it. The board needs to know that.Put it in a bullet or at the beginning of the closing section.

38. BLOCK 40/41 • Recommendations are CRITICAL. • If you want a school or a leadership position ask for a recommendation in Block 40/41. • You will get a recommendation, you might as well get one that you want.

39. DO NOT LET THIS BE YOUR FITREP! • He has the wisdom of youth and the energy of old age. • Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap.

40. OR THIS • She sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them. • This man is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.

41. FINAL THOUGHTS • Market yourself so I can market you. • PLAN your year and your career. • Do not just expect your superiors to make it happen. • PREPARE your FITREP/EVAL carefully. • Write PERSUASIVELY. It is only your career that is at stake.

42. IT IS YOUR CAREER OWN IT -- GET PROMOTED!