VZCZCXRO2595
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHSH #0027 0550938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 240938Z FEB 10 ZDS
FM AMCONSUL SHENYANG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8988
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8461
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0356
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0028
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0933
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 3241
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 2152
RUEHFSI/DIR FSINFATC

UNCLAS SHENYANG 000027 
 
STATE FOR CA/VO/F 
FSINFATC FOR FSI/SPAS/CON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (ADD ADDRESSEE) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CH CMGT CASC CVIS KFRD AMGT AFSI
SUBJECT: SHENYANG CONSULAR LEADERSHIP DAY 2010 - DEVELOPING THE NEXT 
GENERATION 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: AmConGen Shenyang's Consular Leadership Day on 
January 28 brought together the consular section's Locally-Employed 
Staff (LES), Entry-Level Officers (ELOs), and  Eligible Family 
Member (EFM) by allowing them to collaborate in small groups as they 
undertook a challenging photo scavenger hunt that led them to the 
far corners of Shenyang.  The focus was on Developing the Next 
Generation of leaders, but the activity also educated the staff on 
other Consular Leadership Tenets.  Every team member assumed a 
leadership role at some point during the day, which culminated in a 
section-wide dialogue on leadership and communication attended by 
the Consul General and other sections.  Sixteen ELOs, LES, and EFMs 
participated, and team members were able to strengthen their 
cross-cultural communication skills and gain a deeper understanding 
of the consular district in which they operate. END SUMMARY. 
---------------------------- 
BUILDING GREAT TEAMS 
---------------------------- 
¶2. (U) Several days prior to the Leadership Day, the consular 
section staff was divided into four groups, each composed of one ELO 
(or EFM) and three LES members.  Team members were informed that 
they would be participating in a photo scavenger hunt around 
Shenyang and each team was provided with a list of items they would 
have to find and photograph on the day of the hunt.  The list was 
composed of over one hundred items related to the Consulate, 
Shenyang, or China in general, and every item provided a unique 
challenge to the team's collective creativity and local knowledge. 
Teams held several brainstorming sessions prior to the day of the 
scavenger hunt, during which each team member provided suggestions 
to increase the team's efficiency and creativity in solving the more 
challenging items on the list.  Through this warm-up exercise, a 
sense of mutual support was fostered among team members, as each 
member was able to contribute his/her own ideas and local knowledge 
for the benefit of the entire team. 
------------------------- 
LEARN CONSTANTLY 
------------------------- 
¶3. (U) On the day of the scavenger hunt, teams braved the Shenyang 
winter and traveled to numerous districts all over the city, and 
both FSNs and ELOs were able to introduce their teammates to new 
areas.  The small- group setting provided a safe environment in 
which every group member felt empowered to openly contribute his/her 
own suggestions and assume a leadership role.  Team members were 
instructed to use the exercise as an opportunity to familiarize 
themselves with their consular district, thereby increasing their 
effectiveness in carrying out their consular section duties.  In one 
instance, a team visited a homeless shelter and made a valuable new 
American Citizens Service (ACS) contact.  Another team visited a 
local visa agency and gave them a presentation on the new DS-160 
visa form, while yet another toured a fire station and visited the 
medical clinic frequently visited by local expats.  Team members 
took turns educating one another on various aspects of the Consular 
district, and every member was able to serve as a team leader at 
some point during the day. 
-------------------- 
COMMUNICATE 
-------------------- 
¶4. (U) Through the week following Leadership Day, teams developed 
PowerPoint presentations composed of the photographs taken over the 
course of the scavenger hunt.  On February 4, teams introduced their 
presentations before a panel of judges, including the 
Consul-General.  During the larger group discussion, teams compared 
their experiences and shared ideas on how to improve group dynamics 
and ensure smooth cross-cultural communication.  As each team took 
note of how their competitors fared during the scavenger hunt, the 
exchange of ideas sparked a dialogue on how to better utilize each 
team member's talents and leadership skills. 
------------------------------------------ 
DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION 
------------------------------------------ 
¶5. (U) COMMENT: Through the development of creative solutions to the 
inherent challenges of the day's activity, the Leadership Day 
program aided in the development of the next generation of consular 
officers.  The materials developed provided a valuable training 
tool, and added value to the overall knowledge base of the section's 
line officers, enhancing their adjudication abilities.   The day's 
activities and the discussion that followed not only helped the 
consular section become more familiar with the surrounding environs, 
but they also fostered the leadership skills of every member of the 
section.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
WICKMAN