Every few months or so, I stand in front a group of new public servants to greet them and welcome them into our profession. Often, I am asked to review a power point that goes over the highlights of our core functions. While this is a great opportunity to share some important information, I usually spend a lot less time on the power point and opt to talk about what helps me stay focused on the good days and the bad.
I share that many of us choose public service because we recognize that it impacts community in a positive way. What we do, can have a profound impact on quality of life, access, and human success. We connect you to transportation, water, recreation, safety, employment, and so many things that allow you to support the fundamentals of life. We should take that seriously. It’s a privilege and a responsibility. There are good days, in which you recall having an impact that carries you through the week and there are bad days in which you question the choice of employment you have made. There will be days of significant appreciation where someone expresses to you their gratitude for everything you have done for them and there are days where someone acts as if your very existence has caused them pain. We don’t always earn the response we get from the public, and it can be incredibly perplexing when our efforts aren’t matched with an expected response. We give it our best regardless and the outcomes can often win over the hardest of hearts.
While this message seems straight forward and comes as no epiphany to anyone, what I often offer next can get lost in the day-to-day race. If you agree that what we do is important, then we must remind ourselves to gauge success. Many of us use spreadsheets, counts, and various forms of data to measure what we do, but there is a more straight forward method that we can use every day, that will remind us of where we have been and where we are going.
When you wake up, ask yourself the question, “What will I do today?” When you go home, ask yourself, “What did I do today.” Perhaps you already do it. Or perhaps you did and shied away from continuing because you didn’t like the answers you were providing. Whatever the case may be, I’m suggesting you give it a try, even if you’re doing it again. Be honest with yourself, and regardless of reactions, you will stay on task and centered.
If what we do impacts others, and we do it because we want to help, it stands to reason that we need to know we are making a difference. Those simple questions, allow you to not only know that you are, but that you will be intentional in trying to be helpful every single day. Whether you love talking about work after hours or not, you are likely to be asked how it’s going or what is happening at work. Believe it or not, people value what we do and genuinely desire to know what’s going on. Wouldn’t it be great to share a story of what you did today? I love hearing about your days of impacting community, but more importantly, I want you to remember what you set out to do and what you accomplished.
So, what did I do today? I shared a message reminding public servants that they can set out to do great things every day, and I reminded everyone that I believe they can accomplish it. We simply have to do it.
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