From left to right: Colonel Woods, National AFJROTC Director, presents the “Top Performer” award during the unit evaluation to Cadet Captain Pardey, from Colombia; and Mr. Barron, Regional Director.[/caption]
By Lt. Col. Ralph Gracia Guest Columnist
As a former Inspector General for the United States Air Force it was my belief, and to this day remains the same, that an assessment is a way to demonstrate program effectiveness. Also, it focuses on leadership and future development. For example, in the Air Force Junior ROTC, the program is self-assessed by the instructors annually. After a three-year time frame, the units are assessed by an outside higher-level AF Junior ROTC organization. During this assessment, the primary focus is on program effectiveness, resources and the efficiency of funds. A checklist is used to assess if the program has or has not maintained its effectiveness. The wellness of cadets is also a critical aspect since the mission of the program is designed around the wellness of our cadets.
Here’s another example. As a nuclear operator for the United States Air Force, my daughter, 2nd Lt Charlene Gracia, knows the process of evaluation all too clearly. A typical day in her life is working on alert with a crew partner in a launch control center, which is located in an underground silo. While on these alerts, she is responsible and held accountable for multiple nuclear weapons. For this reason, my daughter, just like others in her line of work, must pass a simulated evaluation every six months. In addition to these evaluations, they are all tested on a day-to-day basis on security situations and war order procedures. They also have several tests to complete and pass every month to meet readiness. Evaluations in any career field are critical to the success of an organization. Evaluations also provide great feedback and opportunity for growth.
In conclusion, evaluations are critical in any field of work and can be at any level of an organization. Assessment ensures goals and work performances are attained. Evaluations help people learn from their mistakes to achieve a better future outcome. This becomes a humbling experience that creates hunger in our leaders. All in all, assessments and evaluations will improve the effectiveness in an organization and the individuals involved in it.
ESPAÑOL
Las evaluaciones… ¡herramienta de “liderazgo” de muy alto valor!
Por Lt. Col. Ralph Gracia Guest Columnist
Como ex Inspector General de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos, era mi creencia, y hasta la fecha sigue siendo igual, que una evaluación es una manera de demostrar la eficacia de un programa. Además, se centra en el liderazgo y el desarrollo futuro.
Por ejemplo, en la fuerza aérea ROTC Junior, el programa es auto-eva-luado por los instructores anualmente. Después de un periodo de tres años, las unidades son evaluadas por una organización exterior de nivel superior a la FA ROTC Junior.
Durante esta evalua-ción, el enfoque principal es en la efectividad del programa, los recursos y la eficiencia de los fondos. Una lista de verificación se utiliza para evaluar si el programa ha mantenido o no su efectividad.
El bienestar de los cadetes también es un aspecto crítico ya que la mi-sión del programa está diseñada en torno a la salud de nuestros cadetes.
He aquí otro ejemplo. Como operadora nuclear para la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos, mi hija, segundo teniente Charlene Gracia, conoce el proceso de evaluación con dema-siada claridad.
Un día típico en su vida es, trabajar en alerta con un compañero de la tripulación en un centro de control de lanzamiento que se encuentra en un silo subterráneo. Durante estas alertas, ella es la responsable y debe rendir cuentas de múltiples armas nuclea-res.
Por esta razón, mi hija, al igual que otros en su línea de trabajo, debe pasar una evaluación simulada cada seis meses. Además de estas evaluaciones, ellos son evaluados sobre una base del día a día en las situaciones de seguridad y procedimientos de orden de guerra.
También tienen va-
rias pruebas para completar y aprobar todos los meses, esto con el fin de dar cumplimiento con prontitud.
Las evaluaciones en cualquier carrera son críticas para el éxito de una organización. Las evaluaciones también proporcionan una gran retroalimentación y oportunidad de crecimiento.
En conclusión, las evaluaciones son fundamentales en cualquier campo de trabajo y pueden estar en cualquier nivel de una organización. La eva-luación asegura objetivos y a través de esta se alcanza un buen desempeño laboral. Las evaluaciones ayudan a las personas a apren-der de sus errores para lograr un mejor resultado futuro.
Esto se convierte en una experiencia de humildad que crea líderes hambrientos. En conclusión, las valoraciones y evaluaciones mejorarán la eficacia de una organización y los individuos que participan en ella.
Teniente Coronel Ralph Gracia, USAF (Retirado), EdD (sirvió honorablemente durante 21 años). El Dr. Gracia ha estado enseñando liderazgo desde 2003. email:
[email protected].]]>
From left to right: Colonel Woods, National AFJROTC Director, presents the “Top Performer” award during the unit evaluation to Cadet Captain Pardey, from Colombia; and Mr. Barron, Regional Director.[/caption]
By Lt. Col. Ralph Gracia
Guest Columnist
As a former Inspector General for the United States Air Force it was my belief, and to this day remains the same, that an assessment is a way to demonstrate program effectiveness. Also, it focuses on leadership and future development. For example, in the Air Force Junior ROTC, the program is self-assessed by the instructors annually. After a three-year time frame, the units are assessed by an outside higher-level AF Junior ROTC organization. During this assessment, the primary focus is on program effectiveness, resources and the efficiency of funds. A checklist is used to assess if the program has or has not maintained its effectiveness. The wellness of cadets is also a critical aspect since the mission of the program is designed around the wellness of our cadets.
Here’s another example. As a nuclear operator for the United States Air Force, my daughter, 2nd Lt Charlene Gracia, knows the process of evaluation all too clearly. A typical day in her life is working on alert with a crew partner in a launch control center, which is located in an underground silo. While on these alerts, she is responsible and held accountable for multiple nuclear weapons. For this reason, my daughter, just like others in her line of work, must pass a simulated evaluation every six months. In addition to these evaluations, they are all tested on a day-to-day basis on security situations and war order procedures. They also have several tests to complete and pass every month to meet readiness. Evaluations in any career field are critical to the success of an organization. Evaluations also provide great feedback and opportunity for growth.
In conclusion, evaluations are critical in any field of work and can be at any level of an organization. Assessment ensures goals and work performances are attained. Evaluations help people learn from their mistakes to achieve a better future outcome. This becomes a humbling experience that creates hunger in our leaders. All in all, assessments and evaluations will improve the effectiveness in an organization and the individuals involved in it.
ESPAÑOL