The Foreign Service Journal, October 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2013 27 if you’re moving from one short-term unaccompanied posting to another—particularly when those postings are in countries where it is less culturally feasible to date among the local popu- lation. Worth the Tradeoffs All that said, I would still encourage people to seek out such postings at least once in their career. The trick is to go into them with your eyes open and to choose the right time for you and your family (if applicable). I did as many of those tough spots as I could when I was young because I didn’t know whether later on I’d have other considerations, such as a husband, kids, elderly ailing parents or a health condition that could affect my bidding options. Yet I also think it’s important to encourage even the most diehard adrenaline junkies to balance their careers (and lives) by doing an occasional non-hardship/danger posting. Just as taking minibreaks from a danger posting can rejuvenate you, there is value in a less taxing assignment that reminds you what life-work balance is like elsewhere in the world. Similarly, I always encourage colleagues who are bidding to look more closely at whom they’d be working for than where they’d be working. No matter where you serve, you perform better when you’re happy, motivated and appreciated. And good performance—not merely serving in a dangerous place— is what ultimately leads to promotion. My career didn’t end up going as I had envisioned it at 23, but whose does? I’ve been happy for the last 21-plus years, whether serving in hardship/danger posts or in Western Europe, and I’m extremely grateful to the Foreign Service for giving me so many opportunities. I’ve also been encouraged to see so many entry-level officers anxious to serve in more challenging places. The more skillfully the Foreign Service learns to market itself as an expe- ditionary force, whose members (like the military) routinely seek out tough jobs in tough places, the more such colleagues we’re going to attract. n The more skillfully the Foreign Service markets itself as an expeditionary force, the more successfully we’ll attract people with the right skill sets. Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST) Got an interesting story to tell? Want to read one? The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training is a non-gov- ernmental, nonprofit organi- zation located at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. Founded in 1986, ADST advances understand- ing of American diplomacy and supports training of foreign affairs personnel. We sponsor a publishing program and our collection of more than 1800 oral history interviews includes such fascinating interviewees as Prudence Bushnell, Terence Todman, and Kathleen Turner. Excerpts from the collection highlight the monumental, the horrifying, the thought-provoking, and the absurd. They reflect the reality of diplomacy, warts and all, mak- ing them a great resource for foreign affairs profession- als, scholars, journalists, and anyone else who likes a great read. Check us out at www.adst.org.