The Foreign Service Journal, October 2011

12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 • Employees are recognized for providing high-quality products and services. • Employees are given real oppor- tunities to improve their skills. • Employees are involved in deci- sions that affect their work. • Employees are given a sense of personal empowerment with respect to work processes. • Employees are provided with op- portunities to demonstrate their lead- ership skills. • Leaders work to gain employees’ respect. Max Stier, president and chief exec- utive of the Partnership, comments: “If we’re going to get the job of govern- ment done, it’s not going to be done by cutting the government and cutting the work force. It’s going to be by doing things in a smarter way, and innovation is what’s going to be required.” Life and Love in the Modern Foreign Service Salon.com advice columnist Cary Tennis devoted his July 19 column to the following letter from a Foreign Service officer that we believe will C Y B E R N O T E S WWW.AFSA.ORG When contacting an advertiser, kindly mention the Foreign Service Journal. AFSA Insurance Plans hirshorn.com/afsa AFSA FAD afsa.org/CFCFAD.cfm AFSPA Afspa.org AKA Hotel residences stay-aka.com Clements International clements.com Duke University Press dukepress.edu SDFCU sdfcu.org WJD wjdpm.com Woodlands www.thewoodlandsccrc.com Site of the Month: www.peacecorpsconnect.org As we reported in the February edition of Cybernotes, and have noted elsewhere in recent issues of the Foreign Service Journal , this year the United States Peace Corps is celebrating its 50th anniversary in a host of locations and ways. The Peace Corps was established by Executive Order 10924 on March 1, 1961, and authorized by Congress on Sept. 22, 1961, with passage of the Peace Corps Act (Public Law 87- 293). Over the past half-century, more than 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, and volunteers have served in 139 countries Whether you’re a current or former Peace Corps Volunteer wanting to take part in one of the many celebrations of the organization’s golden jubilee going on all over the United States (and overseas), or are simply interested in the organization’s mission, a great place to find information is the Web site of the National Peace Corps Associ- ation (www.peacecorpsconnect.org). Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NPCA is the na- tion’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community through networking and mentoring to help guide former volunteers through their continued service back home. It is also the longest-standing advocate for an independent and robust Peace Corps and its values. Although coverage of the 50th-anniversary celebrations is a prominent element on the site’s homepage, it offers many other noteworthy features under the rubrics Com- munity, News, Resources, Advocacy, About Us and Contacts. A highlight of www.peacecorpsconnect.org is the link to Worldview , a 24-year-old quarterly magazine of news and commentary about the Peace Corps world that brings the events and people of less developed countries to U.S. readers. In each issue, the editors provide a unique perspective on global issues through articles by and about Peace Corps Volunteers, both current and returned, and people who share the global values of the Peace Corps experience. — Steven Alan Honley, Editor