The Foreign Service Journal, April 2004

In this issue you will read about the prospects for ensur- ing the Foreign Ser- vice continues to have enough people, with the right skills, to do its work for the next 30 years. Recruiting, screening, training and advising our newest gen- eralists and specialists are no small tasks. Special kudos go to our col- leagues who work on the Board of Examiners and in the Foreign Service Institute’s Orientation Division. The former have an enormous responsibili- ty for attracting the best and brightest to represent America overseas (in both senses of that term), while the latter must take a group of recruits from all walks of life, and, in a few weeks, make them think and act like Foreign Service professionals. But the work does not end there, and the rest of us play a crucial role in it. I recently attended an Africa Bureau regional conference of entry- level generalists and specialists, who were doing superb work at some of the Service's toughest posts. These colleagues are our future, and their experiences — positive or negative — in their first posts will determine how (or if) they pursue their careers. They deserve all of the support and encour- agement we can provide. We cannot afford to lose them; nor can we afford to see them end up embittered, cyni- cal or ineffective. In most cases, our first-tour col- leagues were positive and enthusiastic about their work. Being GSO or OMS in Luanda or Freetown may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but they were doing it with the best spirits and, most importantly, with a sense of humor. Many spoke positively about their working environment and about how much they had learned from co-work- ers, including both Senior Foreign Service mentors and Foreign Service Nationals. There were a few exceptions, how- ever. In the conference corridors, and even in the public sessions, I heard, among all the positives, the occasional story about the non-collegial col- league, the abusive supervisor, the incompetent manager, and even the occasional burn-out. What does one do, for example, with senior officers who refuse to meet either with their own staff or with host country coun- terparts? What is one to make of the mid-level officer who bullies a subor- dinate and constantly threatens him with an EER that will “sink his career”? Yes, such cases are thankful- ly rare exceptions to the rule. But even one case is too many when the effect is to distort new employees’ view of the organization they have joined. There was a pattern in these rare cases of unprofessional behavior. The problems became worse when post leadership — ambassador or DCM — refused to deal with them, leaving our newest colleagues to cope as best they could. The Secretary and his team have made clear that they expect leaders to lead, and most have responded admirably. For its part, FSI is doing an out- standing job of training leaders and managers. At the top of its syllabus is the principle that problems left untreated will fester and eventually burst, with toxic results. These poi- sons, moreover, will affect the most vulnerable members of the Foreign Service — our entry-level colleagues — who may reach the unfortunate conclusion that such negative behav- ior is normal and acceptable in their chosen profession. In such cases, we risk not only derailing an employee’s career at the beginning, but also losing him or her to the Service altogether. Given the high quality of our new employees, and their crucial part in our mission, we can ill afford such needless losses. P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS If Not Now, When? B Y J OHN L IMBERT A P R I L 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 5 John Limbert is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. Entry-level colleagues are our future. Their initial experiences will determine how (or if) they pursue their careers.