Demonstrating sustained superior performance is the single most important key to success in the Navy, and to your chances of being selected for a commission! Although you will hear the words uttered throughout your naval career, and will see it written in selection board convening orders, precepts, instructions, and various other places, there is no one source I can point to that clearly defines what sustained superior performance is and how you’ll know if you’ve achieved it.

I don’t remember really being taught much about sustained superior performance until I was being groomed for Sailor of the Year. By that time I was an E-6 and no one had previously sat me down and said “these are the things you need to be doing to be successful.” When one of my Chiefs finally did, a light bulb went off in my head and all the pieces began to click together.

What is Sustained Superior Performance?

The FY22 LDO/CWO Administrative Selection Board Precepts say that, “proven and sustained superior performance in command or other leadership positions in difficult and challenging assignments is a definitive measure of fitness for promotion.” Okay, great! But what does that mean?

The precepts go on to list the personal and professional attributes and qualities they’re looking for in candidates:

“Candidates fully qualified for selection demonstrate an appropriate level of leadership, professional skills, integrity, management acumen, grounding in business practices, and resourcefulness in difficult and challenging assignments.  Their personal and professional attributes include adaptability, intelligent risk-taking, critical thinking, innovation, adherence to Navy and Department of Defense ethical standards, physical fitness, and loyalty to Navy Core Values.”

That’s all great, too! But it has the same problem: it doesn’t tell us anything specifically actionable.

In addition to the precepts, the Enlisted to Officer Commissioning Programs Application Administrative Manual, OPNAVINST 1420.1B (arguably the instruction you should be most familiar with if you’re seeking a commission in the Navy), says, “Only those individuals who have clearly demonstrated sustained superior performance, outstanding leadership abilities, and the potential to serve as commissioned officers should be recommended…”

So while both of these documents clearly state the importance of sustained superior performance (the LDO/CWO precepts go as far as saying it is the “definitive measure of fitness for promotion”), neither tell us what it is, what specific actions to take, or how we’ll know if we’ve achieved it.

Surprisingly, the internet doesn’t have much to say either. A quick Google search for “sustained superior performance” brings up a lot of advice for businesses to maintain a competitive edge, and adding the words “Navy”, or “Navy definition” doesn’t fair much better if you’re searching for a definitive outline for success.

NavyAdvancement.com mentions sustained superior performance a couple times. In its article on Navy Enlisted to Officer Programs, it simply says that, “sustained superior performance will give you the edge.” Not very helpful.

In its article on Chief Selection Board Preparation, navy advancement.com says, “what sustained superior performance means is that you have perform[ed] at a higher level continuously over a period of time over your peers throughout the Navy.” While this is closer to a definition of what sustained superior performance is, it still doesn’t do much in the way of telling us what we should be doing to perform superiorly.

So, before we get to what specifically you should be doing to achieve sustained superior performance, let’s clearly define it. I think the Chief Selection Board Preparation article from navyadvancement.com is pretty close and I would only modify it slightly. My definition for sustained superior performance is:

“Sustained Superior Performance is the result of consistent performance of the highest quality, over an extended period of time, above the level of your peers.”

This is a simple, concise definition. It means that you have consistently and continuously outshined your peers through your performance for an extended period of time. But what specific things should you do to outshine your peers? And, how will you know when if you’re performing superiorly?

How to Measure Superior Performance

Your evaluations are the vehicles through which your sustained superior performance is communicated.  I’m going to talk more about writing evaluations in a later post, but for the purposes of sustained superior performance I want you to pay particularly close attention to blocks 33-39 (Performance Traits), block 43 (Comments on Performance), and blocks 40, 45, 46, and 50 (a comparison of you and your peers). 

Performance Traits

First, let’s talk about the Performance Traits section of your eval, blocks 33-39. These seven blocks describe superior performance.  Each block is graded on a five point scale, and the 5.0 score describes what the Navy considers superior performance.   

Blocks 33-39 of your evaluation should be your personal measuring stick and roadmap; use the criteria defined in the 5.0 grade to conduct a frank self evaluation of where you stand as a Sailor and leader.

Performance Traits	5.0:  Greatly Exceeds Standards
33. Professional Knowledge	Recognized expert, sought out by all for technical knowledge. Uses knowledge to solve complex technical problems. Meets advancement/PQS requirements early/with distinction.
34. Quality of Work	Needs no supervision. Always produces exceptional work.  No rework required. Maximizes resources.
35. Command or Organizational Climate/Equal Opportunity	Measurably contributes to Navy’s increased retention and reduced attrition objectives. Proactive leader/exemplary mentor.  Involved in subordinates’ personal development leading to professional growth/sustained commitment.  Initiates support programs for military, civilian, and families to achieve exceptional Command and Organizational climate. The model of achievement.  Develops unit cohesion by valuing differences as strengths.
36. Military Bearing/Character	Exemplary personal appearance. Model of conduct, on and off duty. A leader in physical readiness. Exemplifies Navy Core Values:  HONOR, COURAGE, COMMITMENT.
37. Personal Job Accomplishment	Energetic self-starter.  Completes tasks or qualifications early, far better than expected. Plans/prioritizes wisely and with exceptional foresight. Seeks extra responsibility and takes on the hardest jobs.
38. Teamwork	Team builder, inspires cooperation and progress. Focuses goals and techniques for teams. The best at accepting and offering team direction.
39. Leadership	Inspiring motivator and trainer, subordinates reach highest level of growth and development. Superb organizer, great foresight, develops process improvements and efficiencies. Leadership achievements dramatically further command mission and vision. Perseveres through the toughest challenges and inspires others. Exceptional communicator. Makes subordinates safety-conscious, maintains top safety record. Constantly improves the personal and professional lives of others.

Each of these seven blocks describes concretely what the Navy is looking for in its Sailors; each facet of being a well-rounded superior performer is clearly spelled out. This is where you need to focus to learn the specifics of what you should be doing to achieve superior performance.

Naturally, the specifics of each of these categories may very depending on your rate, rank, and duty station; but, the formula for superior performance holds true:

• You need to be an expert in your field, qualified at the highest level for your rank and rate (Professional Knowledge, block 33).
• Your work should always be the absolute best that you can produce and require no supervision (Quality of Work, block 34).
• You should be actively mentoring and developing your subordinates personally and professionally, and leading your peers (Command Climate/ Equal Opportunity, block 35).
• Your conduct should always be above reproach, your appearance squared away, and your body physically fit (Military Bearing/Character, block 36).
• You should be always be looking ahead, planning and prioritizing, seeking greater responsibility, taking on the hardest jobs, and getting qualified early (Personal Job Accomplishment, block 37).
• You should always be a team player, and you should jump at every opportunity to be the team leader (Teamwork, block 38).
• Lastly, you’ve got to lead (a bit more on leadership later)(Leadership, block 39).

It does not matter what your rank or rate is with regard to these Performance Traits; each of these traits applies to you in your unique situation.

A quick cautionary note, while the 5.0 score is what you should be aspiring to, you should not be discouraged if you don’t receive a 5.0 score on your evaluations. I will get into why in a later post, just understand that your Reporting Senior has to actively manage their Reporting Senior Cumulative Average (RSCA) and this effects what scores they can give you.

I encourage you to spend time with these traits, internalize them, understand them, decide how you can apply them to your current job and duty station, and then do it!

Next, let’s talk about opening statements and soft breakouts.

Soft Breakouts and Opening Statements

Opening statements and soft breakouts are the part of your evals directed at selection boards; they are the target audience.  Whether it’s the Chief’s board, the LDO/CWO (Limited Duty Officer/Chief Warrant Officer) board, or the Officer Community X’s board doesn’t matter; it’s all the same.  The purpose is to get the attention of the board member reviewing your records; it is intended to make you stand out.  For that reason, it is at the top of block 43, centered, in all caps, limited to one or two lines and preceded and followed with asterisks.  And, importantly, they are written from the perspective of your Reporting Senior —the person whom has the final signing authority on your evaluation. 

The opening statement is a bold declaration about your superior performance.  If you have not been formally ranked against your peers by your command, it can be used as a topic sentence of sorts. For example, your opening statement could be something like:  

*** QUICKLY ESTABLISHED HERSELF IN A DEMANDING BILLET – IMMEDIATE SHIP-WIDE IMPACT! ***  

Or, something like:

*** ABSOLUTE SUPERSTAR!!! RECOGNIZED LEADER AMONGST HIS PEERS!!! ***

Soft breakouts, on the other hand, speak to your relative ranking amongst your peers.  This ranking will typically be done by your Command’s ranking board — typically, the Chief’s Mess will provide its inputs to the Department Heads, and the Department Heads will provide their recommendations for ranking to the Captain.  Because of the amount of time, work, and debate that goes into ranking Sailors, soft breakouts are typically reserved for First Class Petty Officers, Chief Petty Officers, and Officers.  If you don’t fall into that category, you typically won’t see a soft breakout.  

If you’re writing your own evaluation — as you should — you would submit your evaluation with a soft breakout formatted as such:

*** #X OF 16 OUTSTANDING FIRST CLASS PETTY OFFICERS AT MY COMMAND! ***

Thus allowing your chain of command to fill in your ranking.  Note, you typically won’t want to use this soft breakout unless you know you’re in the top three to five .  If that’s not the case, go for an opening statement instead.

Hard Breakouts

Hard breakouts directly compare you to your peers. A hard breakout accomplishes this a couple of different ways.

First, your Individual Trait Average (block 40 on you eval) can be compared to the Summary Group Average in block 50. This is a comparison of your overall performance trait average with that of your peers. This is exactly what it sounds like. It is the average of all of the performance trait marks you received, ranging from 1.0 – 5.0, compared to all the other Sailors of your rank at your command. You want your Individual Trait Average to be above the Summary Group Average.

The other way hard breakouts compare you to your peers is through the Individual and Summary Promotion Recommendations, blocks 45 and 46. This is where your command ranks you as “Early Promote”, “Must Promote”, “Promotable”, etc. In block 45, there will be an “X” in the space denoting which promotion recommendation you’ve earned. In block 46, the number of Sailors receiving each promotion recommendation in your peer group is listed. This gives you a clear understanding of where the command’s leadership think you rank among your peers.

Other Guides for Sustained Superior Performance

In addition to your evaluations, there are several other tools available for you to evaluate your performance and utilize as roadmaps to sustained superior performance.  I’m talking about the Expectations of a First Class Petty Officer, the Guiding Principles of a Chief Petty Officer, our Navy Core Values, and our Core Attributes.  While some of these references are not as prevalently used as when I first joined the Navy, they are valuable resources that provide an additional guide to your success and sustained superior performance.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a Seaman Recruit or a Commander, these documents define the characteristics that all successful Sailors should demonstrate, regardless of rank.  Furthermore, as one of my mentors told me a long time ago, to be successful you should always be working one or two levels above your current rank.  The bottomline is that if you want to be an Officer, embodying these principles and values will help get you there.

I hear some of you out there saying:  “Wait, I want to be an Officer.  Why should I care about the Expectations of a First Class Petty Officer, or the Guiding Principles of a Chief Petty Officer?”  I’ll tell you why:  unlike those that directly commission from college, those of us that enlist first have to prove a lot more; we have to first prove that we are outstanding enlisted service members before we can even be considered for a commission, and using these documents as guidelines is a great way you do it.

“…unlike those that directly commission from college, those of us that enlist first have to prove a lot more; we have to first prove that we are outstanding enlisted service members before we can even be considered for a commission…”

Expectations of a First Class Petty Officer

The Expectations of a First Class Petty Officer are taken directly from the “To the Deckplates” message from then Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Joe Campa, 08-01, released on 22 January, 2008.  It has also been featured in the First Class Petty Officer Selectee Leadership Course.  Here it is in its entirety:

• First Line Leadership – First Class Petty Officers are fully engaged Deckplate Leaders who drive mission accomplishment daily.  They lead adherence to the Navy Standard through personal example and commitment to teaching their Sailors.  They must challenge, mentor, and measure their division’s and command’s success through team performance and deckplate results.
• Rating Expertise – First Class Petty Officers are developing experts who learn from their Chief and train their Division.  They demand consistent procedural compliance and accuracy from themselves and those they lead.
• Professionalism – First Class Petty Officers are the Navy’s first line professionals who execute the right things at the right time for the right reasons.
• Communication – First Class Petty Officers clearly communicate standards to the Sailors they lead, while consistently keeping the chain of command informed.  The deckplate triad of Division Officer, CPO, and First Class Petty Officer is only effective with their input and deckplate perspective.
• Loyalty – First Class Petty Officers are visibly loyal to the command, Sailors, peers and themselves.  They utilize opportunities to provide feedback and actively support guidance.  They create circumstances which give their Sailors the opportunity to succeed.
• Heritage– First Class Petty Officers are proud of our shared history.  They take opportunities to weave it into daily events, so our Sailors understand that a commitment to excellence is a time-honored tradition that connects our past while forging the foundation of our future.

Guiding Principles of a Chief Petty Officer

The first time I was introduced to the Guiding Principles was while I was a First Class stationed with the Seabees during our weekly CPO (Chief Petty Officer) 365 training.  What follows comes directly from the CPO 365 Development Guide, dated 17 September, 2016:

• Deckplate Leadership – Chiefs are visible leaders who set the tone. Chiefs will know the mission, know their Sailors, and develop them beyond their expectations as a team and as individuals.
• Institutional/Technical Expertise – Chiefs are the experts in their field. Chiefs will use experience and technical knowledge to produce a well- trained enlisted and officer team. 
• Professionalism – Chiefs will actively teach, uphold, and enforce standards. Chiefs will measure themselves by the success of their Sailors. Chiefs will remain invested in the Navy through self-motivated military and academic education and training. Chiefs will provide proactive solutions that are well founded, thoroughly considered, and linked to mission accomplishment.
• Character – Chiefs abide by an uncompromising code of integrity, take full responsibility for their actions, and keep their word. Chiefs always seek to set a positive tone for the command, unify the Mess, and create esprit de corps. 
• Loyalty – Chiefs remember that loyalty must be demonstrated to seniors, peers and subordinates alike, and know that it must never be blind. Chiefs must have the moral courage to question the appropriate direction in which an organization is headed and then the strength to support whatever final decisions are made.
• Active Communication – Chiefs encourage open and frank dialogue, listen to Sailors, and energize communication flow up and down the chain of command. Chiefs always must seek to actively communicate in a way that increases unit efficiency, mission readiness, and mutual respect.
• Sense of Heritage – Chiefs make heritage a priority, using it to define our past and guide our future. Chiefs will use heritage to connect Sailors to their past, teach values, and enhance pride in service to our country.

While inherently similar, the ideas contained within the Expectations and Guiding Principles offer Sailors of all ranks a roadmap to success.  

The Navy Core Values

The next measure of sustained superior performance I’m going to discuss is one that all Sailors should be familiar with:  our Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.  The Navy Core Values are a deeply embedded part of our character as a service; they are the bedrock principles in which each of us agreed to continually strive for when we took our oaths.  They are important and you need to spend some time internalizing and interpreting what they mean to you, not only as part of your personal and professional development, but also as part of your officer package which is for another post.  Here is how the Navy officially defines our Core Values:

Honor

“I will bear true faith and allegiance …” Accordingly, we will: Conduct ourselves in the highest ethical manner in all relationships with peers, superiors and subordinates; be honest and truthful in our dealings with each other, and with those outside the Navy; be willing to make honest recommendations and accept those of junior personnel; encourage new ideas and deliver the bad news, even when it is unpopular; abide by an uncompromising code of integrity, taking responsibility for our actions and keeping our word; fulfill or exceed our legal and ethical responsibilities in our public and personal lives twenty-four hours a day. Illegal or improper behavior or even the appearance of such behavior will not be tolerated. We are accountable for our professional and personal behavior. We will be mindful of the privilege to serve our fellow Americans.

Courage

“I will support and defend …” Accordingly, we will have: courage to meet the demands of our profession and the mission when it is hazardous, demanding, or otherwise difficult; make decisions in the best interest of the Navy and the Nation, without regard to personal consequences; meet these challenges while adhering to a higher standard of personal conduct and decency; be loyal to our nation, ensuring the resources entrusted to us are used in an honest, careful, and efficient way. Courage is the value that gives us the moral and mental strength to do what is right, even in the face of personal or professional adversity.

Commitment

“I will obey the orders …” Accordingly, we will: Demand respect up and down the chain of command; care for the safety, professional, personal and spiritual well-being of our people; show respect toward all people without regard to race, religion, or gender; treat each individual with human dignity; be committed to positive change and constant improvement; exhibit the highest degree of moral character, technical excellence, quality and competence in what we have been trained to do. The day-to-day duty of every Navy man and woman is to work together as a team to improve the quality of our work, our people and ourselves.

The Navy Core Attributes

Last, but certainly not least, the Navy’s Core Attributes are another great measure of SSP.  The Core Attributes complement our Core Values and embody personal characteristics that all Sailors should strive to emulate.  They are:

Integrity

Our behaviors as individuals and as an organization align with our values as a profession. We actively strengthen each other’s resolve to act consistently with our values. As individuals, as teams, and as a Navy, our conduct must always be upright and honorable both in public and when nobody’s looking.

Accountability

We are a mission-focused force. We achieve and maintain high standards. Our actions support our strategy. We clearly define the problem we’re trying to solve and the proposed outcomes. In execution, we honestly assess our progress and adjust as required – we are our own toughest critic.

Initiative

On their own, everybody strives to be the best they can be – we give 100% when on the job. Our leaders take ownership and act to the limit of their authorities. We foster a questioning attitude and look at new ideas with an open mind. Our most junior teammate may have the best idea; we must be open to capturing that idea.

Toughness

We can take a hit and keep going, tapping all sources of strength and resilience: rigorous training for operations and combat, the fighting spirit of our people, and the steadfast support of our families. We don’t give up the ship.

If you can strive to personify our Core Values and Core Attributes everyday there is nothing you could not achieve.  It’s not easy.  There will be bad days where you fail to live up to them; we all have those days.  What’s important is to work hard to instill these qualities into the fiber of your being, and when you do have a bad day, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back to work. 

Leadership and Scope of Responsibility

Eisenhower once said that, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to get something you want done because [they] want to do it.”  There has been much said on the subject of leadership; volumes and volumes of books have been written about the art of leadership.  So much so that I will not even try to capture it all here. 

What I will say about leadership as it applies to your sustained superior performance, however, is that your evaluations should reflect that you have held a leadership position within your work-center, division, department, or command.  It is important, regardless of your rank that you seek out challenging leadership positions within your area of influence.  There are always opportunities to lead.  Sometimes you just have to get creative.

Okay, now I know there are going to be some of you out there raising your voices:  “There are no leadership opportunities within my command!”, and “I don’t have enough rank to lead!”  These are excuses, and they are bullshit. 

For example, one successful Officer applicant I mentored was struggling with finding a leadership opportunity within our command.  The Leading Petty Officer (LPO) was doing a great job, and thus firmly entrenched in their position.  The Assistant Leading Petty Officer (ALPO) out ranked them and was also doing a great job.  In addition, it was a small division on shore duty and there just wasn’t anyone for him to lead.  He didn’t let these facts stop him from finding his niche.  He created his own opportunity to lead by identifying a gap in junior enlisted representation on the base, and with the blessing of the base Command Master Chief (CMC) he founded the base’s first Junior Enlisted Association.  Find or create your opportunity to lead.

I’m also not going to spend a lot of time on Scope of Responsibility; just know that if you’re looking to have a competitive officer package, the scope of your duties and responsibility should be broad in range and considerable in depth.  You should be taking on the toughest jobs and excelling in all of them.  If you are embodying the principles outlined above, your leadership opportunities and the scope of your duties and responsibilities will naturally blossom.

Taking Care of Your People

A lot of what I have said in this section may sound self-serving; like it’s all about checking the right boxes and taking care of yourself and your career. While there is a shred of truth to the fact that you need to take care of yourself, that’s not the whole truth.  The truth is that sustained superior performance comes from a place of servant-leadership; the idea that service to others is the pinnacle of purpose, and the job of leadership is to serve your people, not the other way around.  Taking care of your people is how you achieve sustained superior performance.  Taking care of your people and being a servant-leader encompasses all of the other qualities I’ve talked about here.  If your Sailors succeed, you succeed.  If you are genuinely looking out for the best interests of your people, your command, our Navy, and our Nation, you will embody our Core Values and Attributes, meet the demands of the Expectations and Guiding Principles, and exceed the Performance Trait standards.  

Final Thoughts

• When it comes to success, sustained superior performance is the “mother” criteria from which all others spring. 
• It is the result of consistent superior performance, as communicated through your evaluations, for an extended period of time, above the level of your peers. 
• Sustained superior performance is more than just “doing your job.”  It takes discipline, focus, and dedication. 
• Furthermore, you can evaluate your performance utilizing:  the 5.0 Performance Traits contained in your annual evaluation; the Expectations of a First Class Petty Officer; the Guiding Principles of a Chief Petty Officer; our Navy Core Values; and the CNO’s Core Attributes. 
• You should be taking on the most challenging jobs and assignments and finding and creating your opportunities to lead.
• The job of leadership is to serve your people, not the other way around.

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