The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2016 11 LETTERS It’s Time to Be a “State” Person Domestic politics and career public service shouldn’t mix. I can now count on two hands how many times someone has said to me: “He/she is a ‘Clinton/ Trump/Fill-in-the-Blank person,’ so they don’t want to make waves before the election.” According to those I’ve spoken with, the definition of “waves” can be anything from personnel and staffing decisions to sticking up for one’s people or weighing in on possibly contentious policies. No matter the reason, good lead- ers—especially career State employees— should never be afraid to do their jobs for fear of the political ramifications. The fact that some high-level leaders in our organization are playing it safe should be alarming. Further, it should disturb the core of our organization that people at the working level know and accept that this is happening. Reliance on the outcome of domestic elections weakens the State Department. As career employees, it is our job to internalize the core values of the organi- zation (character, service, accountabil- ity, community, diversity and loyalty), to represent national, not partisan, inter- ests and to live the core culture of State and help political appointees adapt to it. This is my first administration transi- tion as a State employee. I’ve noticed that at the working level some of us jok- ingly remind one another of the Hatch Act, or we wonder aloud how we would draft press guidance should a Trump presidency become more probable. But we don’t base our on-the-job actions on who may be elected. Yet some senior personnel are changing their behavior because they’re “politicians’ people.” These are not appointees—they are career members of the State Department. I was a member of the military dur- ing the Clinton-Bush transition. We all did our jobs without thinking much about the outcome of the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court decision. We never heard of generals who were Bush or Gore people. Any sort of political behavior deemed detrimental to the organization would have “rung bells” and spurred the orga- nization to action. It would have been exorcised like an evil spirit. This is not to say that it doesn’t hap- pen in the military or other organiza- tions. There is a long list of generals, in fact, who have been ostracized because of their political behavior. The point is not that it happens, but that organizations with strong, internal- ized core values can recognize a cancer and have the expertise and the courage to cut it out. Is this behavior necessary to survive and thrive in the State Depart- ment? Do you have to be a “politician’s person” to help your people and your organization? If so, if those who are playing it safe for political reasons are right, then fears that we may work in a leader- less institution are justified. It is not off base to say that we in career public service are held to a higher standard than are politicians. We could never mealy-mouth our way through a debate on the meaning of the word “is”; we should never rest on the selective amnesiac’s excuse, “Senator, I have no recollection….”; and we should never pin our professional advancement to the careers of elected officials. There’s no better way to counter this politically motivated behavior than through State’s current drive to build a grassroots culture of leadership. Employees at all levels can get involved with efforts like iLead through FSI and the Office of Management Policy , Rightsizing and Innovation; they can contribute to professional development portals like Smart Leadership and the Leadership and Management School website; and they can participate in mentoring programs sponsored by the career development advisor (CDA). Together we can take ownership of the profession of diplomacy. John Fer FSO Washington, D.C. A Welcome Explication of Hiring Practices Glenn Guimond’s clear explana- tion of the steps required to become a Foreign Service officer is a welcome explication of hiring practices for new entry-level offi cers (“Examining State’s Foreign Service Officer Hiring Today,” July- August FSJ ). I appreciated the opportunity to com- pare it with the exami- nation process I went through in the early 1960s and to update my understanding of current requirements. I would urge that it be reprinted as a brochure to be utilized and distributed by recruiters and by retired FSOs who have the opportunity to speak to young people who may be interested in career opportunities with the Department of State. Perhaps the article that followed on “Opportunities for Students” could also be usefully included in such a publica- tion. (I must admit, though, to some