The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

52 DECEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL We are in volatile times, and the decisions we make, both inside and outside of the U.S. Agency for International Development, matter. Although evaluation is a complex endeavor—how does one accurately measure how much of USAID’s work generates goodwill or helps people avoid difficult situations?—we should, in the words of Mother Teresa, “do it anyway.” A recent article in the Quarterly Journal of Political Science , “DoingWell by Doing Good: The Impact of Foreign Aid on Foreign Public Opinion,” provides compelling evidence that USAID’s work in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, has significantly and positively affected how recipient countries regard the United States. This, in turn, has made it easier for the United States to make progress on its foreign policy goals in these countries. The authors’ findings imply that when the United States seeks cooperation on an issue important to foreign audiences, the consequences could lead to—imagine this—a virtuous race to the top for other emerging powers providing foreign aid. As a superpower, the United States has had the luxury to assume a foreign policy approach that has not always included a thorough self-evaluation process. But, the effort to evaluate is Reflections on Human Capital and Talent Management USAID VP VOICE | BY SHARON WAYNE AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA USAID VP. Contact: swayne@usaid.gov or (202) 712-1631 worth it. As the PEPFAR case illustrates, a changing world and the welcome expansion of democratic governance suggest that public opinion abroad will become increasingly important to the practice of international relations. Meanwhile, USAID is in the midst of a different sort of self-evaluation. Mass hiring under the Development Leadership Initiative led to growing pains within the agency. With increasing numbers of non-career employees occupying policymaking positions, USAID was placed under intense pressure to support the expanded workforce. Consequently, management made the controversial decision to hire a professional, non-FS chief human capital officer (CHCO) as the director of human resources. As many know, the CHCO has abruptly departed. This experience has taught us that, though there are many great government personnel experts, FS expertise and appreciation must be a requirement for this job. Even long-term USAID civil servants have opined that, as the HR head of a foreign affairs agency, the CHCO should understand the unique aspects of the Foreign Service assignment and promotion system at USAID (e.g. Foreign Service officers, locally employed staff, Foreign Service limited appointees, personal services contractor authority) and not just the Civil Service system. Acting Administrator Alfonso Lenhardt recently affirmed his belief that when you take care of people, they take care of everything else. The CHCO’s departure is an opportunity for USAID to live up to that belief and rebuild trust among its FSOs. A diverse team headed by Senior Foreign Service Officer Sharon Cromer is now completing an assessment of the Human Capital and Talent Management Office: The goal is to ensure USAID is taking care of its people to the best of its ability. At this critical juncture, it would be wise to “get back to the basics” by looking to the Foreign Service Act of 1980 as the cornerstone of agency policy. Congress made it clear, through Section 101 of the act, that a career Foreign Service is necessary. The objective of the act was to strengthen the U.S. Foreign Service by “assuring, in accordance with merit principles, admission through impartial and rigorous examination, acquisition of career status only by those who have demonstrated their fitness through successful completion of probationary assignments, effective career development, advancement and retention of the ablest.” Section 307 further stresses the career aspect by stating that a candidate for appointment as a career FSO may not be initially assigned to a grade higher than FS-4. In addition, the act calls for members of the FS to be “representative of the American people, aware of the principles and history of the United States, informed of current concerns and trends in American life, knowledgeable of the affairs, cultures, and languages of other countries, and available to serve in assignments throughout the world.” FSOs need to know that their leadership is fighting for them, not against them, and that all actions taken will be in accordance with the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to strengthen and uphold the integrity of the career Foreign Service. A stronger, more united USAID is possible, if only we learn from our past and use the basics in the Foreign Service Act of 1980 as the foundation for our future. n A stronger, more united USAID is possible, if only we learn from our past and use the basics in the Foreign Service Act of 1980 as the foundation for our future.