Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned his new team to brace for “changes to how things are traditionally done” as he plans to reform the State Department.
“I remind you that our undertakings are larger than ourselves or our personal careers,” Tillerson said in his introductory speech to State Department employees.
The incoming Trump administration has rattled the State Department bureaucracy repeatedly, but Tillerson bound that message with olive branches to a diplomatic corps that had strong ties to the expected winner of the 2016 presidential election, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“I know this was a hotly-contested election and we do not all feel the same way about the outcome,” Tillerson said. “Each of us is entitled to the expression of our political beliefs. But we cannot let our personal convictions overwhelm our ability to work as one team. Let us be understanding with each other about the times we live in, as we focus our energies on our departmental goals.”
That might reassure the hundreds of employees who signed a memorandum dissenting from Trump’s executive order suspending travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. That prompted White House press secretary Sean Spicer to say that recalcitrant officials “should either get with the program or they can go.” Tillerson, by contrast, said he would “be proud to draw on” their collective experience. He vowed to prioritize employee safety around the world every day and saluted the career officials who work behind the scenes, calling them the “brick and mortar” of the State Department.
“I will embrace accountability, honesty and respect no less than anyone,” Tillerson said.
But the warning of change was unmistakable. “As secretary, I will deploy the talent and resources of the State Department in the most efficient ways possible,” he said. “That may entail making changes to how things are traditionally done in this department. Change for the sake of change can be counterproductive and that will never be my approach. But we cannot sustain ineffective traditions over optimal outcomes. I will gather information on what processes should be reformed and do my part to make sure that we are productive and efficient way possible.”
