The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2015

44 JULY-AUGUST 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Top 10 QDDR Highlights 1. Family-Friendly Policies. Expanded career breaks for employees and career support for eligible family members 2. Training . Support for the Diplomatic Mastery curriculum at FSI; real-time training modules for posts; more long-term training opportunities with substantive performance evaluations; and increased partnerships with universities 3. Leadership. Hands-on coaching for first-time managers; roundtables at posts led by more experienced managers; feedback and accountability at all levels 4. Nimble Workforce. More excursion tours and movement into and out of the department; more senior opportunities for civil servants and locally employed staff; and greater agility to hire/deploy expertise quickly 5. Wellness and Resilience. Support wellness initiatives at home and at posts; train our people for resilience before, during and after challenging postings 6. Prioritizing Good Governance. Combating corruption and promoting the rule of law to advance the full range of our strategic priorities, from promoting inclusive growth to preventing violent extremism 7. Agility and Risk. Conducting a senior-level agility review, implementing the new risk management framework; starting a candid, public dialogue about inherent risk and the necessary tradeoffs for advancing America’s interests abroad 8. Engage America. Greater opportunities to connect directly and virtually with American students, civic groups and diaspora leaders to promote a “whole of America” approach to diplomacy and development 9. Economic and Climate Expertise. Ensuring that all State and USAID officials increase competency on inclusive economic growth and climate as essential elements of professional development 10. Partnerships Beyond the Nation-State. Adjusting to reflect the shift in power from hierarchies to networks—i.e., adapting fromWestphalia to the Wiki-World—by increasing engagement below and beyond federal government, from mayors and governors to CEOs and citizen leaders —QDDR staff designated “no go” neighborhood, the trip was initially rejected. But with creativity, teamwork and an understanding of the mission, we worked with the Regional Security Office and the local police to find a way for me to visit the site and meet those performing this vital work. Doing our job right is not just about encouraging agility and engagement, but fostering innovation. With the help of suggestions from people like David Dzebisashvili, a USAID employee currently serving in Tbilisi, the 2015 QDDR emphasizes the need to build a stronger culture of innovation, where taking smart risks is rewarded and diplomats and development professionals are not afraid to fail and derive the necessary lessons learned in order to stay on a path toward greater success. 4. Leadership Coaching and Accountability As AFSA regularly reminds management, more than 60 percent of current State Foreign Service personnel have been in the department for less than 10 years, due to the large influx of new hires during Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Diplomacy 3.0 initiative. Newer officers often need to adjust to the department’s ethos, but that should not be a one-way process. Our organizational culture needs to adapt to their needs, as well, and this requires a new style of leadership. While researching various archives for the QDDR, we discovered an interview with a retired ambassador involved in a similar reform effort 30 years ago. This person had heard sentiments expressed such as, “Training is for dogs” and “There’s no morale problem at my post; if people don’t like it they can leave.” Clearly, we have made progress from the days when this mentality was the norm. Sec. Kerry has made clear in the QDDR and elsewhere that only leaders and managers who treat their people as human beings first and employees second will succeed. Our organizations need to start developing leadership early, ensure we have the tools to succeed and avoid burnout by providing a psychologically sustainable career