By Kaylyn Koberna
When I was younger my father often quoted Yogi Berra during “teachable moments.” This might seem less than helpful on several levels; oddly, however, the more experience I gain in the public health sector, the more the paradox-prone Yankees star makes sense. Consider the following example:
“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.”
My co-fellow Esnatt Gondwe and I have been Partnership Officers with Malawi’s Reproductive Health Directorate (RHD) – the branch of the Ministry of Health responsible for maternal, neonatal, and child health – for almost a year now.
In theory, our work centers on managing relationships between the RHD and its various partners. In practice, our main responsibility is navigating the challenges that arise when the aid community attempts to translate its ideals of collaboration and country-driven development into reality.
Learning to bridge this theory/practice divide is an essential piece of every fellow’s Global Health Corps experience. As someone aspiring to a career in the public sector, however, it feels especially relevant.
If civil servants are to represent their fellow citizens with integrity, they need to keep the gap between the ideals of public service and the realities of compromise, limited budgets, and politics as narrow as possible. During my fellowship with the RHD, I’ve seen civil servants approach this challenge in a number of ways. The leaders who were most successful, however, had several things in common.
- When managing up, they were patient. Nine times out of ten the role of a civil servant is to act as a reformer, not a revolutionary. The most effective leaders built up their institutions instead of tearing them down – even and especially when they were fighting to change the status quo. They were constructive, collaborative, and able to maintain a respectful relationship with the system and its stakeholders even in the face of (multiple) bureaucratic roadblocks.
- Managing down, they led by examples. The use of the plural is important here. Most meaningful change comes slowly in the public sector, and while it’s possible to recognize group milestones after the fact, scene-stealing solo moments are rare. As a result, respect, like progress, is won in increments. The best leaders earned the respect of their employees over time by always showing up, always being engaged, and always following through.
- In all situations, their cause > their ego. The most effective civil servants I’ve worked with all shared the ability to prioritize the common good over their ego. The role of the ego in public service can be a touchy subject, but it’s undoubtedly an important factor – and in situations where progress requires serious compromise or taking a backseat to peers, it can be a serious impediment. In my department, many of the most striking examples of leadership I’ve witnessed took place behind the scenes.
Taken separately, none of these three characteristics is particularly sexy. Even taken together, they still don’t constitute some kind of breakthrough algorithm for success. But that’s actually the point: there is no secret formula, no hail-Mary moment where fortunes are reversed and it all comes together.
Instead, progress in the public sector is driven by the interplay of important, but minor actions like cc’ing your partner organization on that difficult email, or arriving at that meeting on time, or letting Bob take credit for that draft budget. That isn’t sexy (to be fair, very few things about the civil service are sexy) – but it is something I can work at, every single day. And the results, when you get them, are worth it.