The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

38 JULY-AUGUST 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 10 Participate in the full range of embassy life—even when you don’t feel like it. It’s your community, and it’s a leadership thing. 11 Keep in mind that, though they can be enjoyable, representational events are work. When you get an invitation from the ambassador or DCM, you are generally expected to attend. If you have questions, check quickly with the office manager to see if it is a command performance. “On time” means arriving early. Focus on talking with non-embassy guests or with Washington visitors—ambassadors and DCMs notice this. Ask your boss when you can leave. “Corridor Reputation” and Personal Skills 12 Improve your communications skills—listen- ing, writing and speaking. Active listening, which includes observing a person’s mannerisms, pitch and nonverbal cues, is crucial to your later work in negotiations. When I negoti- ated by cell phone the unconditional release of Americans and Europeans held by armed hostage takers, active listening—iden- tifying nervousness, pride and indicators of ethnicity and class— played a key role in our success. 13 Shape your professional persona, the “corridor reputation” you will inevitably develop. Identify what you want to be known as and for. At the start of the hostage event noted earlier, I picked two first-tour officers, a vice-consul and an assistant regional security officer (RSO), to travel to where I anticipated the hostages might be released. I chose them for their judgment, initiative, language skills and teamwork, and they excelled. Leaders observe you. 14 Take the initiative in preparing work requirements (30 days after arrival is the deadline) and in schedul- ing Employee Evaluation Review counseling sessions. For the latter, always take notes, even if the feedback is positive. 15 Volunteer for public speaking. This, and dealing with the press, will be a big part of your work as you advance. The public affairs section will help. Learn to brief succinctly and to make improvised remarks, in English and in a foreign language. 16 Learn to entertain at home. Invite the DCM and ambassador to an event with your host-country friends and contacts. Security Awareness and Crisis Preparation 17 Support and respect the Marines and RSO staff— they will risk all to protect you. Go to Marine events; attend promotion ceremonies if invited. Four times I’ve been at embassies where the host-country security vanished in the face of attacks, leaving only the Marine Security Guard at Post One. I think about that each time I walk past Post One; you should, too. 18 Understand your role—and your colleagues’ and bosses’ roles—in carrying out the Embassy Emer- gency Action Plan. This, too, is an essential part of leadership. When a crisis management team comes to post, try to par- ticipate in the exercises. Prepare yourself and your family for emergencies. Learn advanced first aid. The ultimate test of an embassy is how it handles a crisis. Often lives are at stake, including yours. How well the embassy and you perform will depend largely on preparation, training (you did take those drills seriously, right?), teamwork and think- ing through assumptions, worst-case scenarios and alternative courses of action. Often, you just have one chance to get it right. 19 Start developing your own security awareness, and start thinking critically about how we in the Foreign Service balance our safety with the imperative to carry out a mission in often dangerous circumstances. “Nothing is more important than your security” sounds great, but we cannot deliver if we only hunker down in hardened embassies. Obey RSO rules—a lot of experience goes into them, and your DCM and ambassador will demand this of you. Raise any disagree- ments with your supervisor and RSO; sometimes you can per- suade them. However, the RSO cannot foresee everything, and at times makes the wrong call, so you must augment the rules with your own observations and experience. Beware of complacency: it is sobering to see how a handful of committed attackers can use initiative and surprise to kill and cause damage to a heavily defended target. Remember, outsiders are collecting information about you and your embassy. Becoming a Leader 20 Study leadership—you can start with former Sec- retary of State Colin Powell’s book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership. Read and think through the consu lar leadership tenets and State’s leadership and management prin- ciples. Observe how people lead at your post. Even bad lead- ers—sadly, we have some—teach you, if only how not to lead. Leadership is not just for senior officers: you can and must lead from below, and with your peers. In fact, you never stop leading from below, even as an ambassador. Study the moral aspects of leadership and responsibil- ity, because your actions can have a direct impact on people’s lives. As you move up, you may have to send people into harm’s way or authorize the use of lethal force. What, you should ask,