The Foreign Service Journal, April 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2022 35 and pared it back to six. We got rid of the “bingo card” in favor of a streamlined paragraph format. And we sought to reduce redundancy across the precepts by going from six down to the following five core competencies: Communication; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA); Leadership; Manage- ment; and Substantive and Technical Expertise. Nothing sub- stantive from the existing precepts was lost—we simply updated and combined the elements of the existing precepts into a new framework. Each of these new core competencies is important in its own right. Selection boards weigh all competencies equally, and no one precept is more important than another. We also eliminated the three effectiveness areas. This was in response to feedback from employees that it was confusing try- ing to write to both the effectiveness areas and to the precepts. To avoid confusion, for employees as well as for the selection boards, we went back to the model of simply relying on the core competencies. Second, we needed to make the new core precepts more inclusive of Foreign Service specialists. The existing core pre- cepts were more geared toward generalists, who are more likely to gain experience related to foreign policy reporting and out- reach to foreign audiences. While those elements are still present in the new version, we have also elevated skills more readily applicable to the work of specialists, and have been clear that the relevant elements and skills should apply on an as-appropriate basis. Last, we asked what qualities, skills, abilities and actions needed greater emphasis as we continue to build a stronger Foreign Service, and it was clear that we needed a stronger focus on DEIA. We have a responsibility to integrate DEIA principles into the way our institution achieves its mission. In close coor- dination with Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Ambassa- dor Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, and others throughout the department, we developed a dedicated precept to ensure every employee takes responsibility for fostering DEIA and demon- strates that responsibility through action. In addition to DEIA, we also increased our emphasis on data literacy. The way we do work has changed; today our employees need to make data-driven decisions and policies, so they need to know how to interpret data. While these are skills that entry-level employees may not come into the Service with, we now offer courses on data literacy at the Foreign Service Institute to make sure every officer has the tools needed to succeed. The other components we elevated were supervisory excel- lence, strategic risk-taking and learning from failure, institution building, and careerlong learning and development. Without a doubt, the most significant change is the addition of the precept on DEIA, and it is a critical one for our organiza- tion as we look to retain and develop our diverse talent and to make State a place where people look forward to coming to work each day. Our concern was that we didn’t want commitment to DEIA to simply be a box-checking exercise. We wanted to send an unequivocal message to the workforce that it is everyone’s responsibility to do their part to make the department an equi- table, inclusive and fair place to work. We believe that the new DEIA precept includes competencies each employee can demonstrate on a daily basis. For example, exhibiting cultural awareness, achieving goals through inclusive teamwork, and showing support for workplace flexibilities are all activities that employees can readily exhibit at every level. Employees can also engage in more robust ways through work with DEIA-related programming and advocating and imple- menting policies that will make our workplace more equitable and inclusive. Why the Precepts Matter On a practical level, selection boards use the core precepts as the basis for their assessment of a candidate’s readiness for tenure and promotion. The feedback we receive from the boards indicates that the better job employees do of describing the impact of their work, of demonstrating the ability to operate successfully at the next level within each precept, the easier it is for selection boards to determine employees’ promotability. Every board season, we give each board member a copy of the core precepts and advise our members to keep referring to the precepts throughout the process. When I came into the Foreign Service, I was an unconed officer. The core precepts set the tone for what the State Depart- ment expected of me as an officer. In essence, the precepts were the basis for the agreement between the department and me to become a Foreign Service officer. Today, the core precepts con- tinue to serve as guideposts. While we are an incredibly diverse workforce, we are united by these common elements that each of us aspires to progressively demonstrate. n The other components we elevated were supervisory excellence, strategic risk-taking and learning from failure.