R 012204Z FEB 13

ALCOAST 040/13
COMDTNOTE 12400
SUBJ: ANNOUNCEMENT OF GOALS, ENGAGEMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, RESULTS
(G.E.A.R.) PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PILOT PROGRAM AT BASE BOSTON, MA
A. Employee Performance Management Workgroup Report to the National
Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations, November 2011
B. Excellence, Achievement, and Recognition System (EARS), COMDTINST
M12430.6B (SERIES)
C. DHS Human Resources Performance Management Program Guidance, 1 Dec
2008
1.  Each and every day, federal civilian employees throughout the
Coast Guard in conjunction with their active duty, reserve, and
auxiliary counterparts work very hard for our nation and the people
we serve.  In order to effectively achieve our mission, it is
important that every member of our team understand how their work
fits into our overall mission.  One step in this process is ensuring
that our civilian performance management system creates conditions to
empower employees and teams to perform at the highest levels.  Over
the years, there have been numerous efforts aimed at improving both
employee and organizational performance management in the Federal
Government.
2.  In May 2011, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management
formed a work group comprised of federal executives, labor union
leaders, management associations, and federal policy experts to learn
from and build upon previous efforts.  In November 2011, the National
Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations reviewed and endorsed
the results of the groups research and recommendations as presented
in the Goals, Engagement, Accountability, Results (G.E.A.R.) Report
(REF A).  The report contains five recommendations to create high
performing organizations that are aligned, accountable, and focused
on results.  They are:
     A.  Agencies must define priorities and expectations for
employees,
     B.  Employee performance metrics must be tied to organizational
performance management,
     C.  Add accountability for all levels and management training
where appropriate,
     D.  Foster a cycle of feedback between employees and
supervisors,
and
     E.  Specifically define competencies for supervisors and develop
corresponding performance plans and potential-manager training
programs.
3.  The Coast Guard was one of five federal organizations selected to
test the G.E.A.R. system.  The other organizations were the
Departments of Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans
Affairs, and the Office of Personnel Management. In order to conduct
a formal G.E.A.R. pilot program, the Coast Guards Headquarters Labor
Management Forum, in conjunction with senior leadership, selected
Base Boston as its test site.  Base Boston personnel will soon
receive a confidential survey, which will be used to establish a
baseline of the current state of the Coast Guards civilian
performance management system.  The goals of this initiative are to
identify ways to improve the current performance management system,
foster greater communications, and improve our performance-based
culture to maximize mission success.
4.  The Coast Guard must continue to strengthen its performance based
culture by linking work to organizational goals, improving
communications to employees to ensure they understand their roles and
responsibilities, and appropriately rewarding employees for achieving
results. We will keep the workforce apprised of the progress from the
Base Boston pilot and continue to encourage the CG workforce to make
performance management a top priority by ensuring that we all adhere
to our performance management responsibilities.
5.  For additional information about the Base Boston G.E.A.R. Pilot
Program, contact Charles Varhol or Carla Grantham, COMDT (CG-12), at
Charles.S.Varhol(at)uscg.mil and Carla.J.Grantham(at)uscg.mil
6.  Mr. Curtis B. Odom, Director of Civilian Human Resources,
Diversity and Leadership, sends.
7.  Internet release authorized.