The Foreign Service Journal, December 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018 65 The Value of Politeness n DIHYA IHSAN, PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR EXPORT CONTROL AND RELATED BORDER SECURITY (EXBS) PROGRAM, U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA, INDONESIA Indonesians value politeness in every aspect of life, including in the work environment and ways of doing business. Indonesians are reluctant to say “no.” They prefer to use other ways to express a negative response in a more polite manner. Further, Indo- nesians are not straightforward in expressing opinions. Many Americans find this frustrating and irritating. American colleagues often have difficulty understanding the outcome of any discussion with local staff or Indonesian government representatives, and will try to consolidate many vague opinions and interpret the precise meaning themselves. Consequently, achieving consensus will usually take a while. There are cases where local staff and American employees end up with tension and conflict because of misunderstanding each other’s perspective. The best way to cope with this situation is to maintain flexibility in your expectations. Do not lose your temper if the response does not meet your expectations. It just needs a little time to achieve consensus and get things clearer. Anger will worsen the situation and lead to team dysfunction. Be assertive without losing the element of politeness. Courtesy is essential. If things go wrong, try to form a statement rather than a question that will corner a person. If you can, please maintain a sense of humor, because Indonesians love jokes. This might lead to lots of adjustment in the pace of your work. Milestones you set may slide, and your timeline may be unman- ageable. But this will keep the working environment healthy. In bilateral cooperation, buy-in from the host government is essential. I spearheaded a coordinated approach to engage our Indonesian government counterparts to support the EXBS program. I meet regularly with host-country officials of rel- evant ministries, Grand National Assembly parliamentarians and ASEAN or European Union delegates or representatives to identify deficiencies, avoid duplications and discuss ongo- ing projects. Our program receives significant support from the government. This contributes to strengthening the relationship between Indonesia and the United States, particularly in the field of export control and border security. The most interesting thing about my job is I have the privilege of traveling around the world. I have the opportunity to experi- ence different cultures, foods and attractions in the course of working, namely organizing capacity-building training events, exchange visits and study tours for our government delegations, most of which take place overseas. I am responsible for escorting the delegation when attending the training. This is a perk of my job which other FSNs do not get. American officers could help FSNs to be more successful by involving them in making strategic decisions and by realizing that FSNs are also capable of managing big projects. Give them the opportunity to shine by allowing them to make authoriza- tions. This will optimize their potential and make LE staff more successful in their work. Dihya Ihsan. If you can, please maintain a sense of humor, because Indonesians love jokes. —Dihya Ihsan