Twenty-Five Year Apprenticeship

What would you tell your five years into the service self?

First, serve in Washington early in your career. My career was profoundly and positively affected by going to Washington after my first two tours overseas and working as a staff assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (as NEA was constituted at the time). Working in the Operations Center would offer a similar insight into how policy is made and how key principals move and shape policy. I found the lessons I learned as a staff assistant to be essential to being able to work effectively in both Washington and overseas.

Let me offer a specific example. My Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in Tunis, Natalie Brown, had served twice in the Operations Center and had both an intrinsic sense of Seventh Floor needs, wants and rhythms, as well as a wide range of contacts who were then working on the Seventh Floor. (Natalie is now the Chief of Mission in Eritrea and has been nominated to be the next Ambassador to Uganda.) These experiences equipped her so well for the revolution in Tunisia that we were able to manage and meet Washington’s expectations.

Second, keep in mind the skills you are seeking to develop when you consider onward assignments. In Washington, look for ways to learn about areas you might not get a chance to engage on overseas. For example, would the position offer the opportunity to work closely with Capitol Hill? With the Hill and the Office of Management and Budget on budget issues? To manage civil service colleagues or detailees from other agencies? Keep all this in mind so you are building skills that will serve you well later.

What were key lessons you learned from working on Counterterrorism (CT) Issues pre-9/11?

Our work should be properly resourced. To cite the Washington adage, “if you don’t resource a priority, it’s not a priority.” The State Department cannot match other agencies (e.g., DOD, CIA) on CT, but we need proper personnel and funding to play our leading policy development role.

A coherent, coordinated voice from the NSC staff helps all agencies more effectively develop and execute policy. Richard Clarke coordinated CT efforts on the NSC staff pre-9/11 and his leadership made our work at the Department of State easier and more effective.

What experience helped you succeed as DCM in Cairo?

Having managed civil servants and military officers on detail while in S/CT and the Bureau of International Organizations Affairs helped prepare me for my management responsibilities in Cairo, where there were numerous agencies. (If I recall correctly, we had 49 separate ICASS entities at post.)

Have a great team. My top priority as soon as I found out I had been selected to be DCM in Cairo was to recruit top folks. I succeeded in pulling in a top-notch team on the State side and was lucky to work with exceptional colleagues from the interagency community. Without such a team, I would not have had such a great time, and would not have been as successful as a manager. Creating the right team is crucial so make sure recruitment is a priority.

What pieces of advice would you offer folks?

Work on finding creative ways to advance our policies. I have found that there is more scope to be creative overseas.

Seek to forge state and local relationships. In Tunisia, for example, we took advantage of the State Partnership Program between the Wyoming National Guard and Tunisia. Through that partnership, I traveled to Wyoming and at a meeting with university leadership in Laramie asked if the university could offer in-state tuition to Tunisian students. They agreed in principle on the spot and within a few weeks formalized the arrangement. The offer of in-state tuition was very well-received by Tunisians, since higher education is so expensive in the United States relative to Europe or Canada.

Treat Washington like an overseas post. Relationships are just as important in Washington as they are overseas. Put in the effort and take the time to learn about the people you are working with. The coin of the realm in Washington is coffee or lunch as opposed to receptions, dinners, or cultural events as is the case overseas. (I received this piece of advice from my DCM in Amman, Skip Gnehm, before departing post for my first Washington assignment, and I’ve shared it ever since.)

Who was your most impactful boss?

I had the good fortune to work for David Welch four separate times and each time I learned more about how to lead. One of the best things he did was to delegate and trust his team. Another reason I liked working for him was that he was crystal clear in communicating priorities.

He also carefully balanced delegation with strong coaching and mentoring, which included effective feedback.

What changes would you make to the Department?

Responsibility should be pushed down so the Assistant Secretaries are fully empowered to lead our efforts over a broad range of policy issues. Deputy Assistant Secretaries and Office Directors should be significant players and drivers of policy. In recent years, unfortunately, there has been a proliferation of Under Secretaries, Special Envoys, and Senior Advisors, so the role of even Assistant Secretaries is less important than it had been, and—in my view—less than ideal.