Q&A > Doug Lute
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What inspired or motivated you to become a diplomat?
My situation was a bit unusual. As a career Army officer I was assigned to the White House in 2007 under President Bush to help coordinate the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. My team on the NSC staff and I were retained by President Obama and our focus shifted to South Asia, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the midst of this 6-year stint at the White House, I retired from the Army and took a senior civilian appointment on the NSC staff. As the President moved into his second term, he appointed me as the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, a career move I never anticipated. I remained at NATO through the end of the Obama presidency in 2017. So in my case, becoming a diplomat was an unexpected opportunity and privilege, not a career aspiration.
Who was your best boss and why?
Based on my short stint as a diplomat, I’ll cite a military officer, General John Abizaid, who commanded U.S. Central Command. I served as Abizaid’s operations officer (J3) from 2004 to 2006. He stands out because of the severe challenges during that period, especially in Iraq, and his ability to stay focused on a strategic vision that was rooted in his deep experience in the region. He believed that US military presence in Iraq would not be accepted by the Iraqi people for long and therefore our mission had to be to transfer security responsibility as quickly as possible to indigenous Iraqi structures.
Describe a day you felt you made a difference.
In September 2014 NATO held a summit in Wales, the United Kingdom, with President Obama representing the U.S. Just a few months after Putin had illegally annexed Crimea and destabilized the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, and after ISIS had declared its “caliphate” across northern Syria and Iraq, NATO leaders agreed initial measures to respond to the most severe security challenges in Europe since the end of the Cold War. Our USNATO team led the 28 allies in developing wide-ranging policies to adapt to these challenges. At the end of the summit, the President gathered our USNATO team for a group photo and thanked us for a successful summit.
What has a colleague done for you that made you wish all of us had a colleague like that?
Both my DCMs at USNATO, Joe Manso and Lee Litzenberger, covered my lack of experience in the State Department by coaching me and covering my “blind spots.” They both kept me straight as the newcomer to the Mission and the Department.
What was the mistake you learned the most from?
In the wake of Russian aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere along NATO’s borders, there was a tendency in Washington and among some allies to seek to isolate Russia as a form of punishment. For example, there were some who advocated for shutting down the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels, the forum in which we could meet to discuss mutual challenges. I believe that setting consequences for Russian misbehavior was necessary and appropriate, but that isolation was not in our interests. Even when our relations are strained, it is in our interest to maintain diplomatic and military-military channels to communicate clearly the measures we are taking in response to Russian acts, to reduce the risk of miscalculations, and to explore areas of mutual interest such as combating ISIS. Closing channels and denying ourselves engagement with our competitors is self-defeating. In the end, the NATO-Russia Council continued to meet regularly, agreeing on little of substance but maintaining an open channel for dialogue.
What was your best and worst experience working with the interagency?
The preparations for the NATO summits in Wales in 2014 and Warsaw in 2016 were highlights. Both featured strong collaboration among State, Defense, the White House and the Intelligence Community to lead the Alliance into adapting to dramatically changed conditions.
What is the one tour you would recommend FSOs consider?
Every FSO should seek assignments alongside interagency colleagues in challenging settings. The interagency works best at the tactical level and the relationships forged there can pay dividends later at more senior levels.
If the state department had a mascot, what animal should it be?
The eagle, the symbol of America.
What was the biggest challenge of FS life for your family, and how did you manage it?
As my appointment to NATO was unexpected and my wife and daughter had commitments in the DC area, we decided they would divide their time between DC and Brussels. This meant long stints apart and missed opportunities to explore Europe together. We extended my daughter’s school breaks to spend time together in Brussels and stayed in touch routinely by phone and video conferencing.
What is your leadership philosophy?
While not a philosophy, I’ve found that the most effective leaders combine a vision of where they want to take the organization, a plan on how to get there, and a focus on networking people who can execute. These seem to me to be the most important factors.
What tips would you give a first-time manager?
Focus on three points. First, build expertise in your area of responsibility; you cannot lead effectively without it. Invest time and energy routinely into mastering your portfolio and expect your team to do the same. Second, balance expertise with humility. Understand that there will always be things you do not know or factors you did not expect. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Third, be the best possible teammate. Your team, your colleagues and your bosses will appreciate it.
What would you change about the State Department?
At times I found FSOs to be overly cautious, unwilling to take prudent risks, and too concerned about getting approval before taking initiative. My preference is to figure out where we need to go and report, rather than to write a cable asking for permission and wait.
What were your pet peeves?
Failing to share information, either intentionally or without consideration of others, is near the top of my list. In today’s fast-paced, interconnected world, the key is to collaborate with others in networks based on trust and reciprocity. It takes time to build trusting relationships and trust erodes quickly if we don’t share information. This is true both among interagency colleagues and with international counterparts.
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