The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

48 OCTOBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS THE NEW FS GENERATION which they want to share. Younger employees should recognize this and seek to tap into the knowledge and tradecraft of the older generation. Whether or not they apply such tips, making the effort can facilitate intergenerational collaboration. Desire to be emulated. While not all “old school” habits make sense, some do. Newer officers should use common sense and tact when eliciting insights into why some seemingly archaic styles or procedures are still relevant in 2012. Discretion. As they say in Vegas, what goes on in the embassy has to stay in the embassy. An embassy or consulate is just too small a pond to engage in public square gossip via social media platforms. Airing internal issues, whether professional or per- sonal, is a fast way to gain a reputation for loose lips. Self-cen- sorship and good judgment can maintain peace in the Foreign Service family. The Value of Mentors Strengthening mentoring programs can go far to bridge the generational gap. Mentors articulate the unwritten rules of the Foreign Service to the newer employees—rules that reorient younger employees’ expectations. In return, newer employees offer their mentors valuable perspectives on the views and atti- tudes of the newest members of the work force, in the context of a non-supervisory relationship. True, mentor match-ups sometimes don’t work out; but having a department office vigorously track mentorship pairs could help identify more appropriate partners. Such an office could also encourage mentoring in the fragile first months of an assignment, and explore ways to devise better pairings (perhaps through common geographic and topical interests). Deputy chiefs of mission and principal officers should also look for ways to retool existing programs for mentoring unten- ured employees to make themmore effective. In addition, promotion precepts could underscore active mentoring as a key leadership trait. Tapping Other Generations’ Strengths The Foreign Service has adapted well over the decades, reflecting changing work-force needs and wants. (Many of us recall a former Deputy Secretary of State’s legendary “wire- brushing” of a bitter Senior FSO who had nothing good to say to a whole A-100 class during orientation.) For new entrants, the Foreign Service Institute should redouble efforts to teach generational awareness, starting with the A-100 curriculum. (FSI has consistently done a good job of educating the Foreign Service on personality differences and