The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2012 43 Brandon Possin, who joined the Foreign Service in 2007, is currently an economic officer in Islamabad. He previously served in Buenos Aires, Jakarta and Lima. Ambassador Larry Butler, also an econom- ic-coned officer, joined the Service in 1976 and is Brandon’s mentor partner. He currently serves at a military command in Europe. Brandon humors Larry’s vast repertoire of “back in the day” war stories, while Larry wonders how Brandon stays awake during his workday after staying up all night connecting with friends from Indonesia, Peru and back home. He has concluded the answer is “Starbucks.” The views expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. government. social media on corridor reputations, this personality type persists. Happily, many of their colleagues have broken the pattern. But they, too, emerged from a more homogeneous, lower-tech world with clearer job and personal expectations. Just a generation removed from President John F. Kennedy’s “best and brightest,” members of this cohort savored the honor of being selected to be in the Foreign Service and did whatever the job required. In contrast, newer employees—mostly Gen Yers and Mil- lennials—tend to expect their managers to deal with them as did their nurturing teachers, parents and youth soccer coaches. Raised with a closet full of participation trophies, the prevailing attitude is, “I am special and need to constantly be reminded of it. We should work on what we want—when and where we want to do it.” Coming from a world made increasingly heterogeneous by globalization and access to technology, younger employees are more likely to assert their individuality and question the value of nose-to-the-grindstone work. Growing up in smaller families, more than a few of our newer colleagues crawled and then walked from one compliment to another, shielded from failure and criticism. Entering the job market, often via unpaid internships or volunteer activities, many have gravitated toward assignments that feed their sense of self-worth. This has produced what sociologists are term- ing a culture of narcissism: choose, play and get praised. Therein lies the gen- erational gulf of job expec- tations. Foreign Service veterans, used to being surrounded by and competing with highly talented colleagues, are conditioned to see superior per- formance as the norm—while Gen Yers and Millennials expect to be treated as the franchise’s most valuable players from day one. The veteran ethos privileges routine, and the newer ethos privileges flexibility. Veterans value predictability and conformity, while newcom- ers want autonomy. Veterans want newcomers to listen and Younger employees are more likely to assert their individuality and question the need for nose-to-the- grindstone work. iStockphoto.com/Photomorphic