The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

34 MARCH 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL F our out of every 10 first-time executives or executives in new positions fail or drop out within the first 18 months. In the For- eign Service, there is no one clear path to leadership success. In this article I offer my top 10 recommendations for professional advancement. While they are not only for Foreign Service women, I offer them with FS women in mind, and with the hope that sharing practical suggestions based on what I’ve learned about leadership during the course of a Foreign Service career and beyond will help set you on the path of a rewarding life and successful career. The Foreign Service is a great place for women to become leaders. Here’s how. FOCUS WOMEN IN THE FOREIGN SERVICE 1 . Assert your expectations . Leaders communicate with intent. It is important to let the system and the people in the system know what your career expectations are. Let your supervisors, their supervisors, the personnel system, the promotion boards and those around you know what you want, your career ambitions and your expectations. How else would they know? Occasionally, as a junior officer, I would ask to meet with senior officers to seek career advice. I would use those meetings to communicate my desire for a particular posi- tion, post or assignment. I also used the personal statement in the annual performance evaluation to let the system know I desired more responsibility. Once your supervisors and the system understand your expectations, your ambitions and how you think of yourself, they respond accordingly with sugges- tions, assignments and opportunities. 2 . Know your job and exceed performance expec- tations. Expressions of ambition must be accompa- nied by a track record of exceeding work performance expecta- tions and progressive achievement. The higher one ascends, the more one focuses on systems alignment and intractable issues and their long-term consequences. If you aren’t crystal Here is a set of practical recommendations drawn from the experience of an accomplished USAID Senior Foreign Service officer. BY ER I N SOTO Erin Soto is a former USAID Senior Foreign Service officer, who served in Latin America, Africa and Asia during a 30-year career. She is the owner of TLC Solutions and the author of Sharing Secrets: A Conversation on the Counter- intuitive Nature of Executive Leadership (2014). She can be reached at erin.soto@gmail.com. Ten Leadership Tips for AspiringWomen