DFA Conducts Leadership Training Program for 23 New Foreign Service Officers

Assistant Secretary Christopher Montero (center) poses with representatives from the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), DFA Human Resources Management Office, and the 23 Foreign Service Officers Class IV cadets of the Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course (FSOCC) Batch XXIX. (ASOG photo)

ANTIPOLO 26 January 2023 - The Department of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Ateneo de Manila University, successfully conducted the Leadership Training Program for the 29th batch of Foreign Service Officers Class IV (FSO IV) cadets from 11 to 13 January 2023 at the First Pacific Leadership Academy (FLA) in Antipolo City.

The two-day executive course, themed “Rethinking Leadership in a VUCA (Volatile, Unpredictable, Complex & Ambiguous) World: Forming Leaders in Diplomacy,” was facilitated by the Ateneo School of Government (ASOG).

In his welcome remarks, Human Resources Management Office (HRMO) Assistant Secretary Christopher B. Montero reminded the cadets not to confuse leadership with authority, and emphasized that respect — for the institution and the Flag under which they serve, and for the people they wish to lead — lies at the very heart of leadership. 

“In order to lead — and do so effectively and meaningfully — you must be willing to listen and eager to learn, and in some cases, have the strength and humility to unlearn,” Assistant Secretary Montero added. 

The leadership and management module is an essential component of the Foreign Service Officers’ Cadetship Course, a six-month intensive training program for newly-appointed Foreign Service Officers, Class IV, to prepare them for their role as diplomats and future leaders of the Department of Foreign Affairs. END

Assistant Secretary Montero welcomes the 23 FSO cadets at the opening of the FSOCC Batch XXIX Leadership Training Program. (FSI photo)