Advice for President Obama on Selecting Ambassadors

Max's advice for March 24, 2009

Dear President Obama,

Max grew up as the son of a man who knew 'ALL' the answers to the problems of the world. Max's father said so! Many times, his father let everyone know that anyone who didn't know that he had the answers was a turkey or a knucklehead.

The famous Ma Bell, the second most powerful force in the world (next to God of course), thought so much of Max's father's opinions that she made him 'Supervisor of Troubles'. This is true!

The advice Max promised you, President Obama.

Select ambassadors on the basis of ability!

Max has during his working years seen many times when company presidents selected people based on criteria other than ability. Sometimes it was on having gone to the same college and other times it was based on relationship to someone in the upper ranks of he company. Some so-called leaders have even chosen people to be in the upper ranks because they play golf or cards with them.

Mr. President, political affiliation, personal friendship, donation to the party and all the other unimportant criteria need to be discarded when you select candidates for ambassadors.

Your Secretary of State should be encouraged to continue to bring forward people of exceptional skill to be nominated. Each nation will need a different set of skills if the American government is to be taken credibly.

You should encourage the Secretary of State to look at what the United States and the country the ambassador will be stationed in needs in order to choose an ambassador.

Some nations, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, need people in place who understand both the military and commercial realities. They need someone who is culturally attuned so that they have an understanding of how the local government needs to be involved with our government.

Other nations need other types of representatives. You should encourage your representatives to look beyond the regular candidates. In some nations we may have experienced people within the ranks who are ready to step up to a larger role.

In some nations we might be better served if the ambassador came with a great deal of commercial experience and work in international trading.

One area that seldom is tapped for ambassadors is the NGO (non-governmental environment). In some of the developing nations people with boots on the ground (so to speak), experience may be the right candidates. They know have the potential of being knowledgeable of what the nation needs to help it begin to move forward.

While ambassadors are the prime representatives of a nation, they can and should also be people who see themselves as helping nations translate their requests and interests into statements our government can understand.

Historically ambassadorships have been used as a political gift to key donors and political allies. This is little different from the company president hiring his sister's kid as a vice president of a division simply to satisfy her.

Given the fragile nature of the world, it makes sense to have people in the ambassador role who understand how important the particular nation is to us. Having good qualified people in place can make the world safer for all of us.

Max wishes you well in all your efforts to promote qualified people.

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Link one is to the vacant ambassador post to the United Kingdom.

Link two is an article about the nominee to be ambassador to Afghanistan.

Link three is a list of U.S. ambassadors and vacancies.