Q&A > Tracey Jacobson
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What inspired or motivated you to become a diplomat?
I have some family background in public service, including a father who had a career in the Air Force and grandmother and grandfather who served in the British Army doing WWII. However, it was really my college friends who encouraged me to take the test—we were all supposed to take the exam together then have a party that night. On the morning of the exam, I was the only one to show up (everyone came to the party of course). What started as a lark became a passion and although I had other, more lucrative opportunities (I had been working at a startup that was sold a few years later for millions) I never regretted my decision to represent the United States. What an amazing adventure it’s been.
Who was your best boss and why?
I had so many! I can remember all the way back to my first tour, where I served in a consular/management rotation. My boss, management counselor O.P. Garza, would sometimes send me to Country Team meetings in his stead so there would be a female at the table. Glyn Davies taught me about grace and humor under pressure at the NSC, Ruth Whiteside about the value of maintaining a broad and diverse network, and Toria Nuland about the role of determined persistence in policy success. I was particularly grateful to work for the legendary Tom Shannon on my last tour.
What would you tell your a-100 self?
Max out your TSP, learn languages when you’re young enough that they stick, take care of your health and have a great time.
Describe a day you felt you made a difference.
There’s never one day. Making a difference is usually the result of a sustained, consistent team effort. I do remember a birthday in Kosovo which saw the arrival of the first Peace Corps contingent as well as the first real free and fair national elections, and our team had worked hard on both.
What has a colleague done for you that made you wish all of us had a colleague like that?
Beth Jones took a chance on me and recommended me for a big job—my first Ambassadorship—when I was still relatively junior. I hope every FSO has a boss that encourages them to grow. And I had three tours with my brilliant OMS Anne Green who not only propelled all our teams to be the best they could be but also always told me what I needed to know when others wouldn’t necessarily do so—including when I was a bit grumpy. I used to say she was psychic.
What was the mistake you learned the most from?
One lesson I had to learn once I became a DCM is that as a senior leader, you cannot make offhand comments. Everything you say has an exaggerated importance to the team.
What was your best and worst experience working with the interagency?
The best experiences are overseas, where the interagency works most effectively thanks to the Country Team format and Chief of Mission authority. When the entire team is working together to overcome stovepipes and achieve agreed-on, overarching goals, that’s when the magic happens. It’s much harder in Washington (but doable!)
What is the one tour you would recommend FSOs consider?
I hope every FSO will look for the opportunity to serve outside of the Department, either at the NSC as I did or with another agency. The opportunity for learning and growth is tremendous and the networking pays dividends forever. On my final tour in the Department (2015-2017) so many of my senior interlocutors and even my fantastic boss, Sheba Crocker, had been NSC colleagues back in the 90s.
If the state department had a mascot, what animal should it be?
Honestly, I think we’d need the whole zoo.
What was the biggest challenge of FS life for your family, and how did you manage it?
Our nomadic lifestyle is a challenge for any family where both partners work. My husband is a now-retired British diplomat, and a two-country tandem usually means extra compromises. I am grateful that the British Foreign Service has so much more flexibility than ours in terms of leave without pay. This is something State will have to address in a more robust way if we are to retain the best talent.
What is your leadership philosophy?
I even quoted it at my last swearing-in: Surround yourself with great people and then bask in the reflected glory of their achievements!
What tips would you give a first-time manager?
Make sure to get supervisory skills training at FSI, build a network of mentors, listen to your people and remember it’s not all about you.
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