The Foreign Service Journal, December 2016

64 DECEMBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FAS VP. Contact: mark.petry@fas.usda.gov or (202) 720-2502 FAS VP VOICE | BY MARK PETRY AFSA NEWS The 2016 promotion season came and went without any positive movement toward resolving the Foreign Agri- cultural Service’s demo- graphic crisis. The number of FAS officers in the FO-1 and FO-2 classes is approximately 30 percent below the optimal levels, a concern which was not addressed in the last promotion season. We can expect the number of FO-1s and FO-2s to decrease further throughout the year in keeping with the aver- age attrition rates for those classes. On the bright side, thanks to recruitment efforts, we now have the right number of officers at the entry level (FO-3 and 4). So, how can we fill in the middle? I suggest that the answer is a combi- Crash Course on Promotions nation of promotions and the limited use of civil ser- vants in Agricultural Trade Office positions. While the obvious answer for the Foreign Service is to promote qualified candidates to higher-level positions, someone can’t be promoted from FO-3 to FO-1 overnight. For me, the fun- damental question is, “Can FAS speed up the promotion of officers without sacrificing the quality of those pro- moted?” I believe that the answer is yes. Although it would be a huge challenge, this could also be an opportunity for FAS to implement standard- ized and consistent training in management, leadership and other essential skills, which has been lacking for FAS FSOs. Two areas, in particular, need to be addressed to give officers the consistent levels of training and expectations they need to do their jobs well. First, FAS needs to insti- tute mandatory manage- ment and leadership training as the State Department does for FSOs and FAS now does for Civil Service man- agers. Advanced programs for mentoring and other ways to directly impart expe- rience to rising officers also need strengthening. Second, FSOs have called for and deserve the oppor- tunity to revise the perfor- mance management aspects of our contract to deliver clearer expectations at all levels. I strongly believe that these changes can speed the promotion of those already working at the next level and provide training and guid- ance for others on how to get to that next level faster than they do under present circumstances. When judging experience and readiness for promotion, there needs to be more than a simple “check-the-box” exercise for officers. We deserve more structure for gaining practical and educa- tional experiences needed to show that we have the skills to be promotable and to understand what is expected at the next level. These changes should simultaneously increase the preparation of officers and the speed of promotions, leaving FAS better posi- tioned to remedy our current problems and meet those of the future. n REMI NDER – 20 1 7 H I GH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST The American Foreign Service Association’s National High School Essay Contest has begun! The contest winner will receive $2,500, a trip toWashington, D.C. to meet the Secretary of State and full tuition for a Semester at Sea educational voyage. The runner-up receives $1,250 and full tuition for the National Student Leader- ship Conference’s International Diplomacy summer program. AFSA welcomes the continuing support of our fantastic contest partners: The United States Institute of Peace, Semester at Sea and the National Student Leadership Conference. Eligibility for AFSA’s 2016 National High School Essay Contest is limited to high school students of U.S. citizenship, in grades 9-12, whose parents are not members of the Foreign Service. The deadline for entries is March 15, 2017. Full details of the contest, including this year’s essay topic, are available from the AFSA website: www.afsa.org/essay. n NEWS BRIEF