The CSM conducted a promotion/reduction board today. I have been a recorder on numerous junior promotion boards during my illustrious career, but the last two have been an experience, if only because of the members of the boards. How many more senior NCOs can I encounter that have never been on a promotion board? Or have never worked in a battalion TOC? It used to be a requirement that NCOs needed to progress through developmental positions along the way, but that must be an old Army requirement, or at least one that happens on active duty. The Reserves have too many people that enlist in a unit and stay with the unit throughout their career. Granted, I have been with this unit for over eight years, but that is my own fault.
I suppose that the fact that these NCOs don’t have the experience and development is not entirely their fault. It all goes back to their leadership throughout their careers, allowing them to achieve at their current ability for as long as they have, passing them through the ranks as they go. But the Peter Principle is in full effect in our little task force. For those unfamiliar with the Peter Principle, it is a rather humorous and tongue-in-cheek observation about organizations promoting people up to their level of incompetence. This simply means that a person will never advance beyond the level where they should have never reached in the first place. That incompetent 12-year Staff Sergeant should have never made Staff Sergeant in the first place. The eight-year Major should have never made it past Captain, or First Lieutenant for that matter. This really only applies to people in leadership positions. So luckily I am okay, at least until I actually start getting some rank on my chest.
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