Have you ever caught the show Undercover Boss? It’s just the kind of brilliant mind-numbing reality TV you need for a sick day in bed – which is how I spend my Tuesday.
If you haven’t watched it, the basic premise is that a senior executive or company owner goes ‘undercover’ in the lower tiers of their company for a week or so. We feel smug watching the out-of-touch executive reconnect with customers and frontline staff and gain an appreciation for how real people live.
The lesson here is in the importance of staying connected to the purpose and meaning of our work. It’s so easy to get tangled in the daily crap and forget why our work matters, even in the public sector, where we create real community impact.
As a freshly minted policy advisor at a little local Council in provincial New Zealand, Michael Mintrom’s People Skills for Policy Analysts was never far from my desk. My biggest takeaway from that book was the importance of getting out of the office and seeing the people and sites relevant to your projects firsthand. (I know, sensible, right?) This elementary yet eye-opening advice to tangibly connect to your subject matter changed my thoughts about my work.
I think there’s no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world.” – Jack Lew
The work we do in the public sector can feel mired in process and bureaucracy, which can make it hard to stay meaningfully connected to our impact. But this connection is important to stay focused on action that creates real value and to keep our teams engaged and motivated.
How do you keep yourself and your team connected to end outcomes?
How to… Stay Connected to the Outcome
· Get out of the office regularly
· Build relationships with key stakeholders
· Place visual reminders of purpose and impact in your workspace.
Alicia McKay