Welcome to one of my favorite weeks of the year:
Public Service Recognition Week!
While GovLoop connects, honors, and highlights the work of public servants like you every day, I love that there’s a designated week every year where we get to show you some mad love and appreciation (Thanks Partnership for Public Service for hosting a great event).
Well, this year we teamed up with our friends at Code for America to create something extra special for you:
Basically, we’re giving you, your colleagues, your family, friend and anybody else in your life a chance to say, quite simply, “Thank You.” Think of it like a virtual “high five” or fist bump of awesomeness.
In fact, I wanted to share the “Top 5 Ways You Can Show Public Servants Some Love” to your friends and colleagues in government this week (and beyond). Check it out below this sweet video we made with citizens and a couple celebrities expressing their sincere appreciation for your service as well:
Top 5 Ways to Show Some Love to Public Servants
at WeLovePublicService.org
1 – Give a personal shout out to someone you know that’s rocking it. Consider these props to a couple of my favorite peeps: “Hey @GwynneK – Thanks for bringing government into the mobile-sphere” or “I’d like to thank John Ohab for making DoD social media awesome.”
2 – Recognize the folks you work with in your city, department or agency. Like: “To all the folks who work for the City of Tulsa, OK – It’s an honor to serve beside you!” or “The folks in the Multnomah County, Oregon, Health Department are the best!”
3 – Honor a family member, professor or mentor who inspired you to public service. Here’s what my sister said: “To my father, a 30+ year IRS employee, who instilled in me a love of public service.” Another idea: “I’m so amazed at the thousands of lives my mom touched as a public school teacher for more than 40 years.”
4 – Call out a great experience you’ve had recently in a public service setting. For instance, “My last visit to the DMV went really smoothly” or “I called about my student loans and the representative was friendly and found my answers quickly.”
5 – Remember those people who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in service. Millions of men and women have given their lives while serving our country – people who’ve worn the uniform of soldiers, public safety officers and emergency personnel. If you know someone, let’s name them and never forget their courage and commitment.
Those are just a few of my ideas…and I can’t wait to see how you honor others.
So let me say it one more time: thank you, public servants, for all that do to make America (and other nations!) awesome.
Cool video from FLOTUS
Great comments, Steve. Also, how about writing a letter to a supervisor of a public servant who helped you and exhibited impressive friendliness and excellent work skills. And/Or, write to an elected official who is doing a great job and thank them for what they’ve done right. In other words, don’t just get motivated to point out failure, act to reward exemplary behavior.