He's a great worker but he sucks at his job

There are some things I really hate about the Army. Don't get me wrong, I think the Army is a great life thus far, but there are things that just don't jive with the rational thinking that has been the modus operandi of my life so far.

There are 2 distinct things I do as a warrior bandsman: the day to day work associated with being a bandsman and my job as a soldier. Not to brag too much, but I've always been a hard worker. Maybe not the best or most skilled worker, but I have (and always plan to) work hard if I have a job to do. What this translates to in the army is that I work hard on my trumpet, in the publicity shop, and anything else that comes my way. This puts me very far ahead of a lot of people in the band field (a sad truth), and this doesn't go unappreciated. All of my bosses have seen my performance and have told me I'm a good asset. Again, I don't like to brag, but it's just the truth. I do more work than a lot of people in the band.

So when my supervisor said yesterday that I suck at my job, I took it pretty hard but had to agree. Those things listed above are nice, but don't get you promoted. There are bums in our band that have 2 or 3 ranks on me that don't deserve it on work merits. Day to day they don't put in time on their instrument and cruise by doing as little as possible in their shops. Why does the army think it's a good idea to not only keep these individuals but actually promote them? They know how to work the army system.

To get promoted there is a special worksheet that you put together that gives you a point total. If this point total is high enough, you can go to a board for review and get promoted. You get points for lots of little things, but the big things are physical training tests, marksmanship, army learning classes, awards, and other army schools/training. Basically all the things that don't really pertain to what we actually do. Because they just don't relate, I don't really stress about them. To my boss, that's just inexcusable.

When he says I suck at the army, he says so for my own benefit. We enjoy working together and even hang outside of work a bit as well. It's not exactly a reprimand, he just wants me to get into a mindset so that I can be promoted quickly and attain a rank that reflects my work. It's a good idea, but the whole system is just so backwards. Sure, sometimes a person that is good at their job will rise in the ranks and be an effective leader and we have a bunch in our unit like this. On the other side of things, if the army promotes a bunch of bums, what is the motivation for a rookie to stay in? Why work in an atmosphere that doesn't reward good work? In nearly every section of our band, there is a section leader who is not as good as the players he is expected to lead. Where's the logic (and musicianship) in that? It leads to a weaker band that is run by the people who are more interested in the soldiering side of things rather than actual music making. A lot of good musicians leave after 3 years for this very reason.

So all that being said, it probably isn't as bad as all that. When I get worked up I have a tendency to rattle off very one-sided and biased arguments. Still, the problem is there and I don't see it going away anytime in the near future.