The Promise of Public Service
Ideas and Examples for Effective Service
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Book Description
In the United States, new government employees begin their careers by pledging their allegiance to the Constitution and by committing to conscientious service dedicated to solving public problems. But what do public servants get in return? For many, a chance to serve provides public servants with a higher purpose as well as professional and personal meaning in their lives and careers. In The Promise of Public Service: Ideas and Examples for Effective Service, Michael M. Stahl, a 40-year veteran in the executive and legislative branches of state and federal service, demonstrates what makes public servants effective by offering useful ideas and examining the accomplishments of public servants throughout American history. The book blends theory with practice, exploring the role that attitudes and philosophy play throughout one’s career, offering practical implementation advice, and demonstrating how one can measure success. Undergraduate- and graduate-level courses will benefit from The Promise of Public Service as a resource, and practitioners of public service in all its forms will benefit from these ideas and examples at any stage of their careers.
Table of Contents
Part I. Ideas for Effective Public Service, 1. Introduction: The Oath and the Opportunity, 2. The Attitude of a Public Servant, 3. A Reflective Practitioner’s Philosophy: Creating Public Value and Solving Public Problems, 4. Implementing Public Policy and Using Networks, 5. Performance-Based Management: An Opportunity Squandered, 6. Government’s Greatest Achievements, 7. Qualities Needed by Future Public Servants, Part II. Examples for Effective Public Service: Profiles of Public Service Heroes, 8. Abraham Lincoln, Keeping the Union Together, 9. Frederick Douglass, Calling Out the Brutality and Hypocrisy of Slavery, 10. Ida B. Wells, Journalist Documenting Racial Injustice, 11. Upton Sinclair, Muckraking Author, 12. Alice Paul, Fighting for Women’s Voting Rights, 13. Harry Truman, Plain-Spoken President, 14. Frances Perkins, Champion of the New Deal, 15. George Marshall, Rescuing and Restoring Europe, 16. Martin Luther King, Jr., Warrior for Economic Justice, 17. Rachel Carson, Mother of a Movement, 18. Robert Kennedy, Beacon of Hope, 19. Sergio Vieira De Mello, Diplomat in Harm’s Way, Epilogue: Lessons Learned from Public Service Heroes, Appendix A. Ripples of Hope: Sustaining Quotations for Public Servants
Author(s)
Biography
Michael M. Stahl is a 40-year veteran of public service in the legislative and executive branches in state and federal government in the United States. He led organizations ranging from 10 to 3,100 people, managing programs to provide grants and loans to schools for asbestos abatement, ensuring compliance with all environmental laws, and working with international partners to solve environmental problems in other countries and regions of the world. He taught for almost 20 years as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He was awarded both the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award and the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award by the U.S. government, and the Distinguished Career Service Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has authored several articles on public administration, including, most recently, Sustaining the Public Service Mentality, and New Imperatives for Public Managers. He holds an MPA from the University of Missouri, a Leadership Coaching Certificate from Georgetown University, and is the CEO of Stahl Strategic, LLC, a coaching and consulting firm in Staunton, Virginia.