The Foreign Service Journal, December 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018 61 within your rights, do try to learn at least one African language when in Africa. Learn a local language, wherever you go! Lastly, please show confidence in and appreciation for the work being done by the local staff. Yes, we understand it is your taxes at work, and that is why we wake up each day to try and make a difference, just like you do. Helping to Make Cambodia Safer n SONGMENG CHEA, CRIMINAL FRAUD INVESTIGATOR, REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICE, U.S. EMBASSY PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA I have served as an interlocutor between the embassy’s regional security office and Cambodia’s top two law enforcement entities— the Cambodian National Police and the General Department of Immigra- tion—which has led to unprecedented local arrests and prosecution of fraudulent visa appli- cants and scammers, as well as the deportation of numerous Americans wanted for crimes in the United States. During 12 years with the embassy, I have earned the trust of the leadership of the host-country policing agencies, which helps to a large extent to remove red tape. In my capacity as a CFI, I feel that I have had a big part in making Cambodia a safer place for Cambodian kids through assisting in the removal of U.S. sex offenders from the country. Provide Space for Honest, Constructive Discourse n PETER MCKITTRICK, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, U.S. CONSULATE GENERAL BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND Prior to an abrupt and unexpected career change, I worked for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in Belfast. On a Monday I was on a bus full of American travel writers extolling the virtues of my wonderful little country. By the following Friday I had taken up a position with the State Department, where I was on a different bus taking congressional representatives around our sectarian interfaces, telling them how difficult things were! I suspect the truth is somewhere in between. The most interesting thing about my job has been and remains the opportunity to view my own country from the outside in. I believe Locally Employed staff have a huge obligation to be flexible and responsive to the changing needs and personalities of our diplomatic colleagues. Ultimately, it’s not about us. That said, there are two simple questions that Locally Employed staff love to hear when a new officer arrives at post. The first is: “What do you think has worked, and what hasn’t?” We benefit more than most organizations in our potential to blend fresh perspectives with longstanding institutional knowl- edge. Sometimes, the instinctive (and perfectly understand- able) desire of newly arrived FSOs to make a strong, immediate impact can lead to good things being sacrificed and the not-so- good being implemented. I would add that appraisal systems can sometimes reinforce that tendency. Something “sustained” doesn’t tend to read as well on a performance review as something “implemented.” Creating the space for honest, constructive discourse can help us preserve the ideas and initiatives that work well, and it can also prompt necessary change on the things that don’t. We also love to hear, “How can I help you do your job bet- ter?” For my part, I’ve been fortunate to have grown profession- ally in this job, not least because senior colleagues have been prepared to empower me and help me fulfill my potential. The There are two simple questions that Locally Employed staff love to hear when a new officer arrives at post. The first is: “What do you think has worked, and what hasn’t?” —Peter McKittrick Songmeng Chea.