Tough economic times prompt tough debates about the role of government and the efficacy of public institutions and employees. Constructive debate is grounded in reason and intent on addressing tough problems. Good discourse sheds light and informs wise action.
Too often, though, our public discourse generates much more heat than light. Criticism of public employees can be especially vicious, and therefore especially unhelpful. I work with leaders in public safety – fire and police departments – and I see great people providing excellent service, every day. I believe that public leaders need better tools for leading this discussion toward rational assessment of how public work is done and supported in our communities.
For the last three months, I have been working within several public safety leadership development programs to develop a framework of values that can guide leaders and inform public discourse. The current result is a set of three intersecting values for public leaders:
- Excellent public service. Do excellent work, consistent with the public’s needs. Respond to, and thoughtfully inform, the public’s priorities for public service.
- Sound stewardship of resources. Use public funds responsibly and intelligently, in pursuit of excellent service. Conserve resources.
- Fairness. Treat employees fairly, consistent with high expectations of service and stewardship. Articulate and apply principles of fairness across all stakeholders.
While it remains a work in progress, this framework is strong enough to build upon, and capable of informing and improving our public discourse as it stands.
These three values stand in constructive tension with one another: public leaders should strive for excellence, with clear missions and dedicated execution. At the same time, leaders must be cautious about expenditures, assuring that the right priorities are efficiently pursued. Fair practices surely include safety, reasonable compensation and clear performance expectations. In this context, our conception of fairness must also include accountability for both service and stewardship.
Putting these values into action requires robust discussion. What is excellent service? What should the public fund and what should we expect from that funding? Stewardship demands that expenditures be linked to performance. More money must buy more or better services. Finally, agencies and communities must define the principles of fairness under which they will operate. Ultimately, fair practices lead to good performance.
These values form a basis for challenging mediocrity and waste; they also enable leaders to recognize excellence and efficiency. Rather than resorting to empty criticism and mutual mistrust, perhaps those engaged in discourse on the boundaries and nature of public service can use this value framework – or something better – to find common ground. From a shared set of values, we can rationally evaluate and improve the work of government in ways that benefit us all.
This work is a great start, I look forward to the next sumission.While I have allways believed that leadership begins with a personal look at oneself we must also hold each other accountable for the performance that we provide. I work in multiple public service areas (hospital, fire service, and emergency management) and have found that the greater proportion of my fellow professionals expect that we demonstrate due regaurd for the responsibility that we have been given. I am glad that that you and others are looking at how we can improve our performance in our duties and responsibilities to the public. I have found that a solid understanding that this process is directed at quality improvement will lead to trust and cooperation during implementation of new policies.