The Foreign Service Journal, September 2003

only has less time available for per- sonnel matters such as EERs and award nominations, but would likely have less managerial talent and expe- rience. One more observation: Many of the current FP-3–level IPOs and IMOs need to focus on improving their managerial skills. But it is also the State Department’s responsibility to properly train its mid-level man- agers. The head of the IRM section at each post must be someone who knows how to super- vise, manage and direct subordinates. Proper training and mentoring will pave the way for junior personnel to acquire the skills needed to advance in their careers, benefitting the entire Foreign Service. The Value of Conferences and Training Sessions Opportunities for training are cer- tainly made available to IMS person- nel; in fact, that is one of the major benefits of a Foreign Service special- ist career. Admittedly, it can be difficult at times to sched- ule training, but if you really want it, you can usually get it. One of the most important aspects of the 10 months I spent in orientation and initial training at FSI and Warrenton was the network of comrades that I developed there. These friends, acquaintances and contacts have proven vitally important over the years, for exchanging advice on onward assignments and sharing answers to technical questions, tips on equipment upgrades, and other professional information. A highlight of my career has been the IRM confer- ences and training classes that I have attended overseas. These regional gatherings have proven to be an important venue for networking with IRM personnel from other posts and from Washington. It’s difficult to maintain a corporate focus and vision with all that is required of the IMS at post. These forums are valuable methods for maintaining the necessary overview and disseminating the future goals and plans of the IRM Bureau. Unfortunately, however, they are not frequent enough for all IRM personnel to attend. Regional con- ferences are currently held just once every two to three years, and are only open to one individual per post. In effect, only the senior IRM manager at post gets to go, and junior IMS personnel are deprived of a valuable experience. Requiring all IMS personnel to attend a conference or training session once per tour, or every two years, would drastically improve morale for junior IMSers overseas. In closing, I want to emphasize that I totally enjoy working in the Foreign Service. There’s nothing quite like it in the world. The unique culture and the challenging opportunities that are available to me are enough to stim- ulate my ambitions and keep me professionally chal- lenged for a long time to come. ■ F O C U S 52 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 Climbing the IMS Ladder: Basic Principles From the day I began my Foreign Service career, I have always heard that one must go back to Washington to get ahead. Is this really true? I would love to see statistics published every year on how many of those promoted work overseas and how many are working in Washington. If IRM personnel in Washington do indeed have an advantage when it comes to promotions, then I guess that means it’s not how well you perform, but whom you know, that matters. In any case, I think it is fair to say that anyone who wants to get promoted has to be aggressive in pursuing opportunities for recognition. Toward that end, I’d like to offer my colleagues the following basic principles: • Be aggressive in pursuing changes to your work area. It’s your responsibility; don’t expect someone to do it for you. • Put things in order (even though they probably haven’t been in order in years). • Learn how to work without a desk, an office or a PC! • Pick your battles wisely. • Support your fellow IMS personnel at post and nominate each other for awards. Don’t count on other parts of the embassy to do it for you. • Don’t complain if you find yourself in a difficult situation; work with what you have and move forward! • Participate in the community. • Network with your comrades. Stay in touch! • Have your own agenda and goals, and work toward them! • Learn how to write an EER! — William Potter The opportunity for training is one of the major benefits of a Foreign Service specialist career.