The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

T he term“Foreign Service culture”has gotten a bum rap in recent years. For many, it conjures up images of proverbial striped-pants cookie pushers, socially priv- ileged graduates of the same Ivy League schools united by a lack of diversity, uniformity of outlook, fear of change or in- novation, inability to take a firm position, make decisions, oper- ate in the “real”world or manage their way out of a wet paper bag. In short, it calls to mind an image of a Foreign Service that is very different from the one we know today. An organizational culture is not, however, an inherently bad thing. It provides necessary reference points for new mem- bers, anchors a shared set of goals and mission, builds esprit de corps, provides a sense of worth, and provides context for a career that, for many of us, is a job, a lifestyle, a community and a key component of our own self-identity. From my vantage point in AFSA, I see many signs that the failure of the old Foreign Service culture to adapt to new realities, and a rush to put an undesirable image of the old Foreign Service behind us, has left a vacuum — which, as often happens with vacuums, has been filled by a number of ideas that divide the Foreign Service, tarnish our image and hurt our credibility. Some play directly into the hands of our critics, some of whom now seek to diminish our in- fluence, reduce our salaries and limit our operations. Some of these ideas have, at their core, the notion that because we do things differently than private industry, the military or another agency in which an individual FS em- ployee may have earlier served, we are doing them wrong. I have heard FS members imply that because we do not sac- rifice in the same way as the military, we do not sacrifice; or that because we defend our individual rights as employees, we do not serve as loyally. Other ideas derive from political mindsets that devalue (or fail to understand) the services we provide to our coun- try and its citizens. A surprising number of FS members do not have a “big picture”understanding of the mission of the State Department or the range of services we provide. And many false notions derive simply from the fact that we provide too little training to incoming FS members, too little guidance in early postings and, in a corps in which two-thirds of our members have less than a decade of service, fail to pass on those ideas, viewpoints and cul- tural trivia that should serve to unite us as individuals and as teammembers. Any “old-timer” reading the Secretary’s Sounding Board will see ideas that were old when we started out, but are now viewed as “new” because they were not passed on to the next generation. Many of the queries AFSA receives stem from someone not having information when it is needed. The Foreign Service truly represents the citizens of a na- tion whose ideals derive from the shared contributions of one of the most varied populations on earth. A full spec- trum of backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences brings much-needed strength, insight, agility and flexibility to a Service that needs them. But it is essential to meld the many individuals who make up the Service into effective teams, a well-integrated corps and a successful community. As the Service grows, it becomes increasingly incumbent on every member to mentor and guide both subordinates and colleagues, to pass on knowledge, experience and, hopefully, esprit de corps. We are working with manage- ment to increase public awareness of our profession, such as fuller use of the oral history project and projects related to the creation of a Foreign Service museum. But ultimately, the future of our culture comes down to the effort each of us makes to become part of something larger than our- selves. Something Larger than Ourselves V.P. VOICE: STATE BY DANIEL HIRSCH We are working with management to increase public awareness of our profession, such as fuller use of the oral history project and projects related to the creation of a Foreign Service museum. 52 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 1 A F S A N E W S