The Foreign Service Journal, May 2013

16 MAY 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL At Fortune 500 companies it is common for those evaluating candidates for promotion to have firsthand experience with their performance. dramatic improvement in that much of it is written by the rated employee. The “Description of Accomplishments” is a vitally important opportunity to demon- strate the ability to communicate. How- ever, objective examples of proficiency in oral communication, either prepared or on-the-spot, cannot be assessed at all through it. • Moves with ease at all social set- tings and levels. It may be impossible to confirm these crucial interpersonal skills in a short interview. However, there is a good chance that some borderline candidates for the senior threshold would demonstrate that they are not ready to represent the United States anywhere, at any time, in dealing with anyone. • Effectively argues complex policy issues; deals comfortably with the most senior levels of government and society . While written and foreign language communication ability are assessed or tested, there is inadequate evidence about whether individual Senior Foreign Service candidates can argue, debate, negotiate, cajole, con- vince or condemn effectively. Woo-Who? Further reinforcement of this argument can be found in the points of emphasis used to prepare senior officers for leadership positions. In training deputy chiefs of mission and