There are Heroes Among Us
In this week’s fusillade of crazy headlines, here’s one we shouldn’t forget: Layoffs of 10,000 Government Health Workers Begin.
This is . . . not good. What’s worse is how these civil servants are finding out their years of service have come to an end—-with deactivated badges when they try to open the building door.
This isn’t new of course. It’s been happening across federal agencies since the new administration took office. Who knows what headlines await us next week?
It takes me back to 2008 when I first arrived in DC to lead TNC. At the time, I was surprised to learn how talented and productive federal employees were. I’m embarrassed now to admit that I had no idea how important these people are. When you’re in the private sector, like I was, you tend to think no one can be as good as your team. Maybe you even believe some of the tired myths about government workers.
But my direct experience proved such views wrong. Time after time, I would meet and work closely with staffers on the Hill, the Department of Interior, the EPA, CEQ, NOAA, etc. The people I worked with were smart, hardworking, experts in their fields, responsible for important work, and above all, dedicated to the public. These civil servants were doing things that were absolutely vital and that only the government was willing to do.