We asked the Apolitical community: __What makes a great public servant? __Is it flexibility? A sense of duty? Or something else?

In 2018, we published a version of this article, but a pandemic happened, so it’s a bit out of date. Public servants and policymakers working during the pandemic had to change how they work, and what they work on. Here’s what they said about being a good public servant in 2022, from empathy to a hint of rebellion:

  1. A sense of community: The last few years have hit the public sector hard mainly because service delivery had to maintain high standards despite all the restrictions in place. The continuity of public services is vital to maintaining confidence in the systems. A sense of community both at work and in the service itself allows the public servant in 2022 to work towards creating a space that is progressing for both themselves and the public as well. A sense of community is essential to creating spaces that are both engaging and encourage inclusive participation. — Millicent Wangui Gatimu, Assistant County Commissioner, State Department of Interior and Citizen Services
  2. Self-care sprinkled with self-reflection: We need to figure out how to take real breaks from the enormity of what we face daily, the pervasiveness of technology, heartbreaking news and the workload in our lives. Public servants need to value and take care of themselves, so ironically they can keep valuing those they serve. Think of the oxygen mask analogy. It is the first step to us showing up and serving in the best way possible. Given all the upheaval in the world, people, families and communities are saturated, fatigued and in need of healing. The pandemic has impacted the world for over two years, in addition to the war in Ukraine, flooding, wildfires, and, in my part of the world, the news of unmarked graves of indigenous children on previous residential school property and the opioid crisis. We need to find a way to come to work every day, and continue serving and deeply deeply caring for our teams, those we serve, our communities and the world. — Zena Van Rosi, Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN) Team Leader, Ministry of Children and Family Development, BC, Canada
  3. **Resilience: In such a changing workplace and with continued uncertainty over government funding resilience is vital. This is further heightened by the constantly changing political landscape. — Eliot Flitman, Project and Policy Lead Community Crime Commission **
  4. Flexibility, agility and adaptability to innovative work practices including technological literacy: COVID-19 has completely modified the work practices in various sectors including the public service. In order to thrive in this new environment, public servants will need to be flexible, agile and adaptable so that they can continue to perform to the best of their abilities and also feel rewarded and empowered. — Lalitha Sundaresan, Senior Data Analyst, Department of Health, Victoria, Australia
  5. Resilience and tenacity: The public service is constantly changing and employees need to be able to adapt and to also forge through the changes. With new technology or lack thereof it is important to be able to consider new possibilities and be a leader at all levels. We need not only the senior management but all public servants to think about how to make improvements and continue to modernize the public service. It is a key job skill of each and every public servant to strategize about making a difference and remembering that we are using public money to deliver services. The world is more complex than ever before with the current healthcare crisis, threats to security, technological threats etc., and being able to manage change and continue to have the energy to keep pushing the public service to deliver results is of the utmost importance. The public service of today is not the public service I joined. At the time there was no spam and malware that I recall. The role of future public servants will be more difficult because of the complex ecosystems that tie our economy, our health, our safety and various other elements together globally — who knew the world would shut down for two years? The government still needed to operate and we found a way because we had to adapt. So, to those just joining the public service, it will be a ride and they can experience great things but they will need to stick with it and remember they have a role in making their country and its public service a better, stronger place to work, and a country that will thrive. Thus resiliency and tenacity will be required to ensure success. — Anonymous
  6. A Sense of duty AND a hint of rebellion: By a sense of duty, I mean keeping in mind that the taxpayer is THE target for everything you. And by a hint of rebellion, I mean that it’s important not to be flooded by bureaucracy and to work efficiently. — __Frederic Desmeules, Inventory control and management officer __
  7. Elegance in how they solve problems: Elegance is a concept used in disciplines such as mathematics, engineering and programming which is particularly useful for public servants in 2022. An elegant solution is one in which the maximum desired effect is achieved with the smallest or simplest effort. An elegant solution may solve multiple problems at once, even problems that are not thought to be interrelated. Governments in 2022 have limited resources with which to promote post-pandemic recovery and innovation. In this environment, it is no longer enough for public servants to find a solution to a problem. We need to find the most elegant solution to a problem. — Warren Bester, Manager Compliance and Policy, Cenitex
  8. Empathy: Put yourself in the shoes of the citizen to help in their relationship with the state. — Guillermo Gómez, Contractor, Digital Government, IGAC
  9. Commitment: As a new starter you need commitment to yourself. Find what you are good at and what you like. Be enthused and grasp every opportunity to develop your skills. Later on you add commitment to what you do. That way you will always go the extra mile and once you love what you do you will never work another day in your life. — Anonymous
  10. Integrity: Public sector employees act honestly in the performance of their duties. They are open and transparent when making decisions. They give honest advice based on available facts and data. They ensure their advice is up to date — Gareth Sambrook, Learning & Development Consultant, Leadership & Organisational Behaviour

Think there’s something missing? Use this form to submit what you think makes a great public servant.

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