by Charles Slater There's a saying in the U.S. Foreign Service, "You do good work leads to more work." That is why, after a number of overseas tours, I was given the job in Pakistan in 2009 as the leader of a staff of about 200 Americans and 1,000 Pakistani staff. Then I led a staff of about 50 Americans and 400 Kenyans in Nairobi, 2010-2012. I had probably 1-4 levels of supervision and management between me and the non-supervisory staff members. Both environments were tense, stressful, and at times dangerous. Here are some of the things I learned about groups. 5 signs of group effectiveness Group effectiveness can usually be measured in how smooth … [Read more...] about How I Recognized Good (and Poor) Performing Groups as a Foreign Service Management Officer
Marketplace of Leadership Stories
Transformative Engagement: Lessons of Group Participation and Leadership
By Lakeisha Harrison Over the course of my life, I’ve been fortunate to be a part of many groups and teams. Be they formal or informal, professional or extracurricular, as a team member or a leader, each situation taught me invaluable lessons about how groups function and how I function in them. These lessons have grown me into a better leader, but most importantly a better person. Group Type The first lesson about group dynamics is to understand what type of group you’re in. A collective functions differently from a top-down hierarchical model. A newly forming group operates in very different ways from a well-established group with longevity. The … [Read more...] about Transformative Engagement: Lessons of Group Participation and Leadership
Seven Lessons in Re-integrating Soldiers In-Between and After Forward Deployments
Allegra Jordan served as the Executive Director of the Rick Herrema Foundation (RHF) from 2017-2020. Designated an “Architect of Change” by Maria Shriver, she develops superior teams so businesses and communities can prosper. The author of four books, Allegra graduated from Harvard Business School and Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching certificate program. Her 2020 book Love’s Red Door: Renewing your Community with a Respite Park provides a deeper look at Rick’s Place, the park described here. For more on Allegra Jordan please go to www.allegrajordan.com. Context: Two or three sentences about the work with returning warriors Since 9/11, the U.S. has … [Read more...] about Seven Lessons in Re-integrating Soldiers In-Between and After Forward Deployments
Lessons about Influencing as a U.S. Diplomat for Three Decades
by Herman J. Cohen, Ambassador (Ret.) Four things I learned about influencing as U.S. diplomat Show an interest in the culture of the country to which you are assigned. Respect local customs for social life. Ask a lot of questions. Make local people feel important. Three behaviors I used that helped Ask questions that lead to new thinking about significant issues. Do not rush to the subject of interest. Work up to it slowly. Spend a lot of time with opposite numbers without talking business. Two challenges I faced consistently Preconceived impressions. Propaganda from Soviet and Chinese embassies One piece of advice I … [Read more...] about Lessons about Influencing as a U.S. Diplomat for Three Decades
A What-To-Do Guide for Difficult Situations
By Charles E. Ray, U.S. Ambassador (Ret.) Having difficult conversations and addressing sensitive issues in the workplace is critical. If we’re unable to talk openly about our organization's problems, we will never solve those problems. Bias and discrimination, conscious or unconscious, exist in every organization. Those who try to deny it are either naïve, asleep, or lying. Whichever category they fall into, they are part of the problem and must be confronted with it even if it’s uncomfortable. Pointing out that you or someone else have been mistreated on the job, depending upon how you do it, is not whining; it’s standing up for what’s right. I have been … [Read more...] about A What-To-Do Guide for Difficult Situations