Money quote(s):
"There are several fissures in the Foreign Service whether you want to acknowledge them or not. Just a sampling:
Foreign Service vs. the Civil Service. If you doubt that, read the rants here.
FS officers with their conal designations vs. the FS specialists and their specializations
Political cone officers vs. all other cone-officers
Consular Officers vs. "Just EFM" Consular Associates
Eligible Family Members vs. Foreign Service Nationals
Not surprisingly, esprit de corps is not found anywhere in the Promotion Precepts that will be in effect for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 rating cycles. These precepts are the core precepts which provide the guidelines by which Selection Boards determine the tenure and promotability of U.S. Foreign Service employees."
"Fissures" is such a harsh word.
There is indeed a sort of caste system, several of them actually, at work within the State Department and within the Foreign Service(s). And let's not even go to a discussion of our "tenant agencies."
CAA has inhabited several various niches in within that ecosystem during his meandering course of what he laughingly refers to as his "career path." So I can certify that some of these "fissures" do indeed exist. And, at times and places, they are exacerbated by poor leadership.
"Most jobs for spouses and partners in the Foreign Service are located in consular sections. It must be said that some consular managers do know what it means to take care of their troops, not just their FSOs, but also their EFMS and FSNs. But others have no effing clue. Unfortunately, those who have no idea how to take care of the troops as well, are also given leadership and managerial gigs they try hard to fail."
The Bureau of Consular Affairs actually tries hard, as an organization, to model and encourage good (and improving) leadership. There's even a set of precepts for "Consular Leadership."
That being said, the Department as a whole only got behind the notion that leadership can be taught (as opposed, I suppose, from being something that going to the right schools and summering with the right people simplies imbues one).
"In some consular sections, EFMs get their performance reviews late or never, get awards or never. Because hey, they're "just EFMs" -- no matter how great they are, how hard they work, they can't get promoted, anyway. So why waste time writing up their EERs or bother with awards?"
CAA suffers the advantage of coming from a military background; and the U.S. military has was can euphemistically be described as "a mature awards and recognition system." Suffice it to say that I did not find any of the time I spent either writing award nominations or sitting in post awards committee meetings to have been time wasted.
Good and exceptional work should be promoted and encouraged. If you promote and encourage something, you get more of it.
(Why is this so difficult to understand?)
Why the FS Should Be More Like the Army -- Esprit de Corps, Taking Care of Troops ... Hey, That Includes EFMs, Right?
The November 2011 issue of the Foreign Service Journal includes a Speaking Out column by Jon P. Dorschner on Why the Foreign Service Should Be More Like the Army. Don't worry, it's not about pumping more testosterone on the Service that's already "deployed" as "boots
No comments:
Post a Comment