The Foreign Service Journal, January 2003

to reward the staff. In addition, if the private-sector manager is suc- cessful, the results are obvious and the rewards significant. If unsuc- cessful, the reverse is also true. But successful FCSOs will get a good employee evaluation report, letters of commendation from the businesses they have helped and perhaps recognition from the pro- motion panel. If unsuccessful, they may still get a good EER but probably nothing from the selec- tion board. As close as our professions are, our private-sector colleagues sometimes question why we would accept a job that requires knowledge of so many markets in dif- ferent regions of the world, having little control over where we will live, all for, relatively speaking, so little money. I hasten to point out that every several months I get a call from one of my pri- vate-sector friends, asking if we are hiring! FCSOs are unique within the business community, too. Perhaps the one attribute we share with the rest of our col- leagues (Foreign Service per- sonnel, GS employees and the private sector) is pride of ser- vice. The collection of success stories distributed by FCS includes numerous examples of FCSOs who have been instrumental in closing a partic- ular deal, or making a company’s international opera- tions viable. We have done some good for our clients around the world and the American economy (as have many FSOs, of course). So we are proud to be part of the Foreign Service Marching Band, even if at times we would consider trading in our piano for a piccolo. F O C U S J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 33 Every director general of the US&FCS tries to bring the Foreign Service and Civil Service components closer, but it is a difficult task.