The Foreign Service Journal, May 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2023 21 SPEAKING OUT HowWill You Lead? BY TODD KUSHNER AND PAUL WATZ LAV I CK Todd Kushner is an assistant professor (contract) at the National Intelligence University. He retired from the Foreign Service in 2016 after 31 years of service and is a former member of the AFSA Governing Board. Paul Watzlavick is the Department of State Chair at the National Intelli- gence University. He joined the Foreign Service in 1999 and is a graduate of the Marine Corps War College and the National Security Executive Leadership Seminar, and is a member of the Senior Foreign Service. The views expressed in this article do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. government. W hat’s your leadership philosophy? If you haven’t given this much thought, you should. People who decide your onward assignments care about how you will approach leader- ship—your values and beliefs—especially if you are vying for a supervisory position. They know nothing has more impact on a unit’s effectiveness and morale than the quality of its leaders. Despite the value of knowing your- self as a leader, as Carol Walker wrote in the September 2015 Harvard Business Review , “Most managers live in a reactive mode, responding to issues based on gut feelings, past experiences, and examples set by others.” Developing and articulating a leader- ship philosophy is a valuable mechanism for moving out of the reactive mode and leading instead from a basis of self- awareness. Many people do not under- take this exercise until they are in a senior position, if ever. We have found at National Intelligence University (NIU) that it is very important to write out your leadership philosophy and reflect on it, even if you are early in your career. If possible, share your phi- losophy with people you trust and accept their feedback. It is natural that over time, your approach to leadership will change as you grow and develop. Crafting Your Philosophy In our leadership and management class, students draft their leadership philosophy as a class assignment. They then get feedback from their classmates and their instructor and submit a revi- sion. Most students, in their course assessments, tell us that crafting and revising their leadership philosophies was extremely valuable. One student from the State Depart- ment said this exercise forced him to look closely at his previous actions as a leader in the department and finally engage in critical self-introspection about beliefs, principles, and values that had guided him. Articulating his leadership philoso- phy resulted in important insights that will shape how he approaches future leadership positions. Another State Department student related that crafting a personal leadership philosophy was valuable in helping to identify personal core principles and suc- cinctly communicate them to her team. She added that exposure to feedback from students from other agencies helped to give her a broader perspective. Crafting a leadership philosophy with the intention of articulating expectations to a unit can be powerful. As Adam Bryant wrote in the July 14, 2021, Strategy and Business : “Providing clarity about your leadership style will help you to build trust with your team. Think of it as your personal leadership brand—what you stand for, including the values that guide your behaviors as a leader, and what you expect from others.” A leadership philosophy can even be valuable if it is private. Some students write the philosophy primarily for them- selves, as a document they can reference when challenges arise and they need At any career stage, or at any instance when tension and stakes are high, a leadership philosophy can be a tool for self-feedback.