The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

36 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL themselves howmany mentees they are able to provide guidance to at any point in time. Mentors and mentees could update the site following a successful match. 4. Provide incentives for mentoring. The Director Gen- eral’s March 2015 cable notes that mid-level and senior officers are encouraged to include mentoring among their formal work requirements. We recommend extending this to all FS-1 and SFS officers and specialists, regardless of their positions. This would add depth to mentoring at posts where currently only the DCM or principal officer has formal mentoring responsibilities. We further recommend that the department develop a system of incentives to encourage officers and specialists to become mentors and to take their mentoring responsibilities seriously, particularly with regard to promoting diversity. Tips for Successful Diversity-Focused Partnerships Given the many different personalities in the Foreign Service, each mentor-mentee partnership will likely require a different prescription for success. Interactions within partnerships can help mentors identify talented colleagues from different backgrounds who could benefit from guidance on tackling professional challenges throughout their careers. As mentors, senior managers gain a better understanding of the talents that exist within the Foreign Service and can deploy human resources in ways that benefit the whole organization. Mentees can learn fromwatching their mentors in action and, later, emulate their best qualities and behaviors. When senior managers serving as mentors demonstrate respect for diversity, more junior employees, especially minorities from underrepresented populations, will be inspired to stay in for a career. Our ownmentor-mentee relationship is both unique and illustrative. We were fortunate to serve together at Consulate General Guangzhou, and to have reaped immediate rewards fromour part- nership. Thao Anh’s out-rotation to the front office led to her heightened interest in public diplomacy outreach. She had the opportunity to observe Consul General Galt interact with her Chinese counterparts and the Chinese public. CG Galt’s encouragement toThao Anh led to their joint cooperation on several social media projects, including creation of the “Voice of the CG” position, whereby first- and second-tour officers have the opportunity to draft microblog posts for the CG’s hashtag. Another example was creation of an interactive map on the consulate web- site where Chinese netizens can track the CG’s travel and public events. Throughout our collaboration, CGGalt benefited enor- mously fromThao Anh’s expertise in social media, which helped strengthen her outreach to diverse audiences. ForThao Anh’s part, as a political-coned officer, she was inspired by watching CGGalt in action and plans to bid on public diplomacy positions in the future. Over the course of two years, we formed a strong partnership that has stood the test of time and geography. Our experience also provided us with insights on how the department can leverage its mentoring program to promote a more diverse and inclusive Foreign Service. Here are our tips for other mentoring partners. • True Partnerships. Successful mentor-mentee pairings are true partnerships that benefit both parties. While the mentor is clearly the more experienced, this should not preclude her or him from also learning from the mentee. A true partnership means understanding the diversity that each brings to the relationship. The key is respect for that diversity and the desire to see it carry through to the highest ranks of the Foreign Service. Communication. Regular and focused communication is A true partnership means understanding the diversity that each brings to the relationship. CG Galt greets a participant in the 20th anniversary celebration of the Guangzhou English Training Center for the Handicapped, a school that provides disabled students with higher education and English-language skills to prepare them for employment after graduation. Thao Anh is nearby capturing images on an iPad for CG Galt’s microblog. PUBLICAFFAIRSSECTION/U.S.CONSULATEGENERALGUANGZHOU