The Foreign Service Journal, June 2005

J U N E 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 5 A Persian pro- verb instructs us that “The more fruit on the tree, the lower hang the branches.” Recent discus- sions and debates in Washington have reopened the perennial debate about the importance of leadership, management and treat- ment of people — all issues of great consequence to AFSA. These ques- tions include: • What do we expect of our most senior officers in the foreign affairs agencies? • What is the “unwritten contract” between employees and leaders? • How important are leadership, management and decent treatment of people in assignments and advance- ment in our system? To put it simply: AFSA believes that the men and women of the Foreign S e rvice — generalists, specialists, seniors, mid-levels, entry-levels — all have the right to expect good leader- ship and decent treatment. In return, of course, management has the right to expect worldwide availability, profes- sionalism, integrity, conscientious ser- vice, and best efforts from all employ- ees. AFSA believes that our profession has no place for abusers, screamers or bullies, no matter how “brilliant.” Let them serve on the Harvard faculty, perhaps, but not in the Foreign Service. We expect the highest stan- dards from all of our people, and the higher the rank, be it of a political appointee or a career officer, the g reater the expectation. When you elected your current board on the “Front Line Slate” in 2003, we promised you in our cam- paign statement that we would insist on mutual respect. We have not for- gotten that promise. Just as we will “let no cheap shot [from the media] go unanswered,” we will not let abusers and screamers get away with mistreat- ing our colleagues. Often a gentle reminder from AFSA is enough. When it isn’t, the fear of public expo- sure can have a very salutary effect. In our Jan. 5, 2005, meeting with then-Secretary-Designate Rice, we told her, “AFSA does not deal with pol- icy. That is the easy part. We deal with people. That is the hard part.” We have been very pleased to see that the Secretary’s recent statements have dis- pelled any doubt about her position. She said she expects her senior leaders to “operate in a way that is supportive of, and gets the best out of, the people” in their missions. The department’s recent cable (State 73770) discussing criteria for selecting chiefs of mission should leave no doubt on the issue: “Special emphasis is placed on ensuring that officers assigned to these senior positions meet the highest stan- dards of leadership needed in our mis- sions overseas and in the department. Those standards apply not only to pol- icy and formal management skills, but also to interpersonal skills and qualities of personal integrity and character required of our leaders.” So there you have it. The depart- ment’s formal position is clear, but, bureaucracy and human nature being what they are, such statements are not enough. Good leadership is not an accident and does not happen by itself. It is a delicate plant that requires care- ful attention and constant nurturing. The consistent message, by word and action, from the heads of our agencies and their subordinates must be that our Service will not tolerate those who abuse, threaten or bully. We expect our senior leaders to set an example of professionalism. We expect them to support their subordinates, to respect differing points of view, and to treat everyone who works for them — civil servant, Foreign Service National, spe- cialist or generalist — with proper respect. ■ P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS The Importance of Leadership B Y J OHN L IMBERT John Limbert is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. Good leadership is not an accident and does not happen by itself. It is a delicate plant that requires careful attention and constant nurturing.