The Foreign Service Journal, May 2011

M A Y 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 29 we’d schedule a unit outing to a park or bowling alley. This time I didn’t get any pushback frommy superiors; as far as they were concerned, I was just doing what any de- cent commander would do to take care of my people. The fact that we increased the quantity and quality of our output, never missed a deadline, and improved relations with activist groups just proved that this was the way to go. Since arriving in Harare, I’ve had to modify my ‘man- agement by walking around’ technique. Not, mind you, because it doesn’t apply here, but because the configura- tion of the mission here is completely different from any of my other posts. I have people in five widely separated lo- cations in the city, and with Harare’s traffic, getting around to each section on a daily basis, as I’ve done in other loca- tions, is just not possible. I do manage, however, to drop in on agencies like the Centers for Disease Control, USAID, the public affairs section, and the general services office warehouse at least twice a month. While these unannounced visits were a bit shocking for the staff at first, I now find that they look for- ward to them, and happily take me around to show me each of their new projects. I manage to get to those sections located on the main chancery compound on a daily basis, even if it’s just to chat for a few minutes. I especially enjoy talking to the entry- level officers within the mission. As I mentor them pro- fessionally and personally, I learn a lot. These are just a few examples of the benefits that achieving work-life balance can bring to an organization. It results in well-rounded employees with high morale and self-esteem, who feel that the leadership of the organiza- tion cares about them as human beings and not just as work units. It also demonstrates that longer hours don’t necessarily produce more or higher-quality work. In fact, just the opposite is frequently the case. Dedicated, committed employees whose morale is high will produce more and better work in fewer hours than the drones who stay tied to their desks for 12 to 14 hours a day — who have, in essence, retired in place. F O C U S