There is an ugly tendency among some public servants to give up their power. This segment of government employees chooses to focus on constraints instead of opportunities. They speak about the limits of their positions and agencies, rather than flexing their levers of influence to advance equity in the communities they serve.
I call these folks “If Onlys” because they have many excuses for playing it safe.
“If only I were a manager.”
“If only I had more direct reports.”
“If only our elected officials understood the issue.”
“If only [other government agency] would cooperate.”
If Onlys subscribe to the myth that they are powerless to improve the systems they operate.
This myth is not intrinsic among government workers; it is taught. How many bright-eyed, ambitious young people have entered public service, just to be knocked down by seasoned employees who see it as their job to educate them about why nothing can be done? While this sentiment may be veiled as pragmatism, it is ultimately a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you think you are powerless, you will be.
It is also a cop-out designed to absolve oneself of the responsibility to change the inequitable systems in which they work -- and from which they collect their paycheck.
While If Onlys are responsible for their actions, they are also a product of the system. Organizations’ incentive structures reinforce their behavior, thereby helping to maintain the status quo. Awards and promotions tend to go to people for longevity, not for rocking the boat.
Fortunately, only a subset of government employees are If Onlys, and it’s a condition that can change with insight, support and policy. Anyone who has worked in the public sector knows there are people on all levels who do what they can --within their existing power-- to improve the ways their organization does business. I call these people Herocrats, and I believe they are an essential component to creating more just and equitable communities.
A recent example: after Minneapolis Police murdered George Floyd, Metro Transit bus operators took a stand. Their union, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), issued a statement demanding justice for George Floyd and an assertion of the rights of its members to refuse to transport demonstrators who have been arrested, calling it a “misuse of public transit.”
Last week, some of these same bus operators joined with hundreds of their fellow employees on a letter to Metropolitan Council leadership calling for accountability around racial justice and recommending a list of actions “toward healing and rebuilding of our region.” The letter’s ideas are expansive, ranging from centering BIPOC voices in decision-making, to vast changes in the Metro Transit Police Department, to more effective operations during civil unrest.
None of these ideas will be new to Metropolitan Council leadership – community members have been pushing for many of them for years. But this is the first time that employees have supported the changes so publicly. It is this kind of solidarity between community members and Herocrats working “on the inside” that will change entrenched systems to better serve everyone.
Looking back over recent years, connections between community and internal changemakers are what drove system change. As the Metropolitan Council staff letter points out, “our more significant changes [towards equity] came from uncomfortable and critical public comment.” It then cites the example of Better Bus Stops, a grant-funded program that engaged thousands of community members to transform the system of bus shelters. Not only did this partnership result in hundreds of new heated, lighted bus shelters in low-income neighborhoods, but it also changed the inequitable criteria for determining bus shelter placement.
To make systemic change, Herocrats need active community involvement, and vice versa. Even with a solid inside-outside game, the work is difficult and uncomfortable. With no meaningful connection with the people being served, it is virtually impossible. As the Metropolitan Council staff letter points out, “we’ve engaged in [internal reviews and introspection] before with no meaningful or longstanding results.” Lacking outside accountability, ideas, energy, and resources, these initiatives just faded away.
The Metropolitan Council employees who wrote and signed the letter learned from these experiences and crafted their approach accordingly.
We, too, can learn from the moves they have made. There is so much work to do to make our systems more equitable, and every public servant has a role to play. Of course, not every situation calls for a public letter like this or a community partnership like Better Bus Stops. So, here are some broader lessons changemakers can take from this example:
Recognize your existing power. The writers and signatories of this letter do not have the most “positional power” in the organization, as defined by their locations on the organizational chart, the size of their budgets, or the number of direct reports. But they recognized they had other types of power, including “information power” about the organization’s policies and practices and “relational power” through a network of trusting relationships.
Summon the courage to act. Knowing their power, these employees made the decision to act. It took courage to write and sign this letter. But courage is also relative, depending on where one sits. A white person who no longer works at the organization, like me, had little to risk in signing this letter. On the other hand, a Metro Transit police officer or employee within operations risks much more by aligning with this effort. Despite that, employees from across the organization stepped up and signed on.
Connect with others. The letter writers knew they needed to make a statement, but initially did not know exactly what it should say. What they did know was how to figure it out: by connecting with a variety of people inside and outside the organization. They launched a massive organizing effort to set a strategy, develop the letter content, and collect signatures. One organizer, alone, had phone conversations with 15 people to surface ideas. They also did their research, identifying other transit agencies that have made similar changes already.
Find creative solutions. From the beginning, our government systems have been cleverly designed to systematically benefit a segment of the population, particularly land-owning white males. Therefore, it will take just as much (or more) creativity to remake them. In this case, the letter writers knew they needed to identify solutions that could be embedded in policy and programs, outlasting individual leaders and staff members. To this end, the actions are measurable and geared to increased public accountability.
While none of us can make a public servant recognize or use their existing power, we can work to recognize and act on our own opportunities. What is one thing you can do this week? Here’s an idea: attend the Metropolitan Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, July 1 and share your ideas for creating a more racially-equitable region.
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