The Foreign Service Journal, April 2014

50 APRIL 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS the president), advocating for and promoting American industry and conduting economic diplomacy, working with and conducting economic diplomacy, working with NGOs and civil society, and conducting public diplomacy in sup- port of U.S. policy goals; • Ensuring the security of mission staff, facilities and clas- sified material, and protecting the interests of American citizens abroad; • Communicating to Washington the nature and intentions of the host government or international organization, the range of prospective U.S. interests in play, and the resources needed to achieve those interests; • Conducting and overseeing negotiations and conclud- ing agreements and treaties on a vast and growing range of issues from trade to nuclear weapons; • Leading the country team to ensure proper focus, priori- ties, high morale, and interagency coordination in the diplo- matic mission’s activities to develop and implement foreign policy; and • Managing the mission’s budget and other foreign affairs resources. COMs must recognize that the international activities and programs of other executive branch agencies are growing. Overseas, it falls upon the shoulders of the COM to ensure that the U.S. government presents a coordinated and disci- plined approach to policy and programs. The Department of State’s lead role in the conduct of foreign affairs must be coordinated with other executive branch agencies. The COM engages in and manages the interagency process directly and through the country team to maintain focus on and pursue Administration policy and programs. Challenges U.S. missions, whether bilateral or multilateral, often consist of representatives of multiple U.S. government agencies, operating in an increasingly complex, interconnected and dynamic world. This presents the COM with delicate policy and leadership tightropes to walk while operating in a foreign culture. Mistakes can magnify quickly and risk becoming public, potentially damaging U.S. interests abroad and at home. U.S. governmental, political and economic policies and developments not directly related to a U.S. mission can have deep implications for the mission, and the COM as its head. Reflecting upon some of these and other challenges for COMs and missions, and drawing lessons from both the qualities and weaknesses of COMs it observed during sev- eral years of inspections, the State Department Office of the Inspector General developed a set of suggested criteria in four areas: (1) Leadership of People and Programs; (2) Rela- tions with Washington; (3) Relations with U.S. Stakeholders; and (4) Relations with the Host Country. In the inspector general’s view, Leadership of People and Programs was the facet upon which the greatest emphasis should be placed, and its report advised against selecting anyone for a COM position who lacked a clear and positive record in this area. In sum, a COM’s role is at once outward-focused (policy and outreach in the host country) and inward-focused (lead- ership of the mission, liaison with Washington). It is probably obvious from the foregoing that a chief of mission’s role is difficult to define. Certain fundamental traits, however, are essential to successful performance in the environment in which COMs must work. Recommended Guidelines for Successful Performance as a COM AFSA recommends the following guidelines be applied to all COM nominees, career (regardless of agency) and non- career, in a fair and impartial manner. We have, therefore, developed the four general guidelines described below to be used in the assessment of all future COM nominees. • Leadership, Character and Proven Interpersonal Skills: The nominee has demonstrated the interpersonal skills necessary to represent the United States, including utmost integrity, honesty, moral courage, fairness, empathy, an appropriate measure of humility, awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses, overall judgment and decisive- ness, and the ability to inspire, as well as a proven ability to be effective in taking on new challenges. A demonstrated understanding and mastery of working in a complex envi- ronment where the objectives of multiple and sometimes competing organizations must be balanced, and a dem- onstrated ability to prioritize wisely, especially concerning issues of one’s staff and facilities. A key skill is the ability to listen in order to better understand the host country’s per- spectives, as well as the mission staff’s views and concerns. These skills can be demonstrated through leadership and management of government organizations, private sec- tor companies, or non-governmental and private volunteer organizations. Guidelines for Successful Performance As a Chief of Mission