Trusting Through the Despair

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Sarah Sweeney
February 10, 2025

One of the lessons I have been reminded of, in this New Year, is that intentional leadership is key to ensuring a successful future for our communities. When we as public administrators step in to the light and lead people, we are making a purposeful decision to take action. It is absolutely vital then, that we make the right choices for those who are looking to us to lead. But what does that mean in today’s reality, where new decisions are coming at us so frequently? An article from The New York Times was recently shared with me, that described how President Trump makes decisions to keep us off balance and convince us to look elsewhere, which then distracts us from what is actually happening. I am taking this as a lesson in leadership—to build transparency and authenticity in my communications with those I am leading. By changing course frequently we come to understand the importance of agility and dynamic leadership in government agencies, which can be an opportunity to grow into the leaders we need to be. I have worked hard to push myself to be a comprehensive and responsive leader, open to hearing all sides in order to better inform my own practice in this field of study. Public administration is a vital profession, tasked with guiding public policy and practice toward an equitable and inclusive society for all communities. It is important we remember why we have embarked on the journey in public service, and who we are tasked with leading.

Over the past five years there has been a push to build more diversity, equity and inclusion in to public agency work and in the past two weeks there have been significant efforts to destroy those efforts with the snap of a finger. It has felt like the wind has been pushed from our sails after so much dedicated efforts have been made to become increasingly representative of the communities we serve. Only through acknowledging and understanding differences, can we truly come to improve service delivery. We must overcome stigma, discrimination and systematic oppression if we are to become better. I wonder if the recent executive order to dismantle DEI efforts is one of those lessons in leadership we can learn from. As a fairly new public administrator and seasoned social worker, I have built my career on values of social justice and equity for all. I am a servant leader and believe in leading from behind, encouraging those I work with to find their voice and be a champion in their story. We must protect the communities we are entrusted to lead, and this includes all members of society because every voice does matter.

Public administration is the practice and study of public program management, designed to strengthen civil society and implement policies and programs. As public administrators it is our duty to enforce the rules of society and we must lead through our ethics and values, which must be representative of those we serve. If we do not include every voice, if we are not diverse in our thinking or equitable in our practice, then we do not deserve to be leaders. We will not have the trust of the most vulnerable, those who are otherwise historically left out of important conversations. I would encourage all aspiring leaders to find their voice and come together with like minded disruptors and bring the noise. Stand up against inequality, divisive rhetoric and do the right thing for all those without a voice. Push yourself and your colleagues to be authentic, transparent and servant leaders who value differences and truly representing the communities we are tasked with leading. Each day brings new opportunity to understand how to lead and learn the tools and skills necessary to do better than we have ever done before. Challenge yourself to read and hear opinions that you do not share, and maintain an open mind, if only to truly understand all sides of the narrative. If we close ourselves off from hearing voices on the other side of the aisle, then we are no better than those who spout hatred and despair. We must show them how to be better, by modeling the behavior we wish to see and pushing forward a more honest reckoning of what needs to happen to build a sustainable future.

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Author: Sarah Sweeney is a professional social worker and public administrator in Washington State.  She may be contacted at [email protected]

 

 

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