The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

feedback of those being led.” “I sense in upper management a disdain for people management, a feeling that their role is foreign poli- cy, cultivating contacts, writing bril- liant cables and not making sure the people under them are mentored or well managed,” writes a female eco- nomic officer from a post in Africa. “Training is crucial at all levels.” Public diplomacy officer Rachel Schneller writes from Skopje that, “I strongly support subordinate input for supervisors. Talented and dedi- cated supervisors may not be getting the recognition they have earned and poor supervisors are not getting the training they need.” “360-degree review is critical,” writes Kerri Hannan. “More officers are coming with a private sector background and demand better supervision, leadership and training opportunities mirroring what they had in the private sector. Management in the FS is spotty at best. The FS must focus on training managers.” Some respondents were sur- prised that leadership ratings were not already included in the supervi- sor EER form. “The FS is all about leadership at a myriad of levels,” writes Patrick Wingate. “How can people be good leaders if those they lead do not see them as good lead- ers?” Do you plan to make the Foreign Service a career, and for how many years do you hope to serve? What is the most impor- tant factor in whether or not you make the Foreign Service a career, and what is the number- one issue your agency should pay attention to in order to keep you in the Foreign Service? Conventional wisdom tells us that this generation is not as loyal to an employer as were past generations. However, most respondents said they hoped and planned to make the Foreign Service a long-term career. A majority cited a number between 15 and 25 years as their anticipated length of service. J U N E 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 47 The allowances issue has become severely clouded by the Washington locality pay inequity for overseas employees.