The Foreign Service Journal, May 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2020 13 We think it’s better that those of us who manage the site (conduct the interviews, curate and post the articles) remain anonymous. This is not about us. We aim to be “wiki-esque,” open to all to contribute and participate. Fair enough. Can you share the names of some of the ambassadors who have contributed to the site so far? Ambassador James Jeffrey gets credit for the site’s title, because he exhorts his charges to learn from him and treat each experience as part of a process of learn- ing, or an “apprenticeship.” Ambassadors Victoria Nuland and Richard Boucher have advised us throughout the process and provided suggestions, content and support. Ambassadors Ronald Neumann, Alex- ander Vershbow and Deborah McCarthy have been extremely generous with their time and ideas. And Ambassadors Nicholas Burns and Kristie Kenney recently contributed timely articles on leadership and crisis management. How do the “legends” contribute? The two most common ways they contribute are, first, through filling out the “Apprentice’s Questionnaire” that we modeled on Vanity Fair ’s quick-response interview style, and that offers personal and professional insights; and, second, via interviews. We have interviewed more than 20 ambassadors, and each conver- sation has been fascinating—really, the best part of the project has been these exchanges. What have you learned from speaking to these ambassadors? In addition to incredible lessons and interesting stories, the two most impor- tant things we have learned are these: First, we have a dedicated community of impressive and inspiring former U.S. diplomats who are more than willing to support the next generation of State Department leaders, share their wisdom and offer mentorship. And, second, all of the contributing ambassadors encour- aged us to keep learning. Tell us about the letter of support from diplomatic leaders. How did you garner all that support? We have been pleasantly surprised that everyone we have reached out to and spoken with has applauded our effort and encouraged us to develop the site further. More than 50 ambassadors have signed on to the letter of support, and most of them have offered content to the site, as well as advice and guidance. It seems that everyone agrees we need a diplomacy guide. The letter suggests you also solicit input frommilitary leaders, Capitol Hill and elsewhere. How do you decide who gets to be a “leader” contributor? We would very much like to include input from across the federal govern- ment, including the Defense Department and Capitol Hill, and from think-tanks, about what it takes to advance U.S. inter- ests and craft dynamic foreign policy. The State Department plays a leadership role in policy formulation, but we are not alone; so we hope we can offer insights into what it takes to succeed diplomati- cally from various perspectives. We are committed to developing a site to pass on wisdom from the “legends” of diplomacy. We hope that many more current and former State employees and diplomatic practitioners will reach out to us to offer their ideas, expertise and advice, as well as help manage the site. All the content on the site that does not have a byline was written by a current State Department employee, but we hope to offer more content from a diverse set of contributors. There are no fixed rules for who can contribute or what content makes sense; any content that offers prac- tical tips, wisdom or insights into how to advance American diplomacy is welcome. Do you have support from the State Department for this initiative? The Director General’s office, the counselor’s office, the Foreign Service Institute, AFSA and others have all expressed support for our project. Any- one who checks out the site can see we are 100 percent nonpartisan and commit- ted to supporting the State Department and our government. What is your goal for the 25YA site? Our goal is that the site becomes self- sustaining as more contributors pitch in to the project; eventually, we would love for someone(s) to build on the site content and publish a manual based on the lessons We have a dedicated community of impressive and inspiring former U.S. diplomats who are more than willing to support the next generation of State Department leaders, share their wisdom and offer mentorship.