New York Lawyer
March 10, 2005

Q:
In the "if it isn't one thing, it's another" category: I'm "in-house" at a department run by a local governmental entity. I absolutely love my job - the people here, the work, the industries we serve - all of it; I'm passionate about. The problem is the elected body that runs the government, or more specifically, a significant handful of them. More than once senior staff members (myself included) have been pawns in political gamesmanship; frequently, the officials will be quoted in the paper saying outrageous things in an attempt to score points off us. No one ever actually comes to us and says, "I have a problem with this project or that," of course, so we have no outlet for working these issues out in a professional manner. I've been to the administrative head of the entity and been told, essentially, "take your lumps."

So my question: What's the best way to maintain my professional integrity and personal values, deal with these kinds of insulting comments, continue to project a respectful attitude, and stay happy in this job I love?

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A:

First, thank your lucky stars every day of your life if, for the most part, you love your job. So many people are unhappy that I always encourage those who are happy in their jobs to count their blessings.

Having said that, one can understand that you might not be thrilled getting publicly bashed for someone else's political gain.

Certainly the best thing to do is to maintain some perspective. If you are in a political job, or department, politics will occupy a much larger dimension than it does in ordinary jobs (where it is often featured prominently as well; and believe me, most non-public jobs don't feature people saying that they like their jobs as much as you're saying you like yours).

Obviously another approach is, where possible, to maintain contact with the public officials and try to build relationships so that they perhaps hesitate just a second before gleefully inserting the knife in your back. Naturally in politics double crossing goes with the territory; nonetheless, carefully wrought alliances can soften this dynamic. If you and your peers are too junior to have these kinds of contacts, you can put some pressure on the head of your department to be more proactive in building these types of relationships. He or she should be promoting and protecting you more than (apparently) is currently done. If you can't deliver this message to the administrative head, find someone who will.

At the end of the day, however, I guess I'm not as hopeful that these moves will pay off in the same way that I feel that adroit efforts in the private sector can. The overwhelming reality of politics tends to wipe out a lot of good sense. Therefore, if I were you, I would keep my expectations in check. You can deal with the insulting comments by reminding yourself that politics is basically a game, and that rarely are the attacks personal in nature, but merely advancing some other agenda. You can keep your personal values intact by recounting to yourself (and others, where you have an opportunity) the facts supporting a job well done. Projecting a respectful attitude may be more difficult at times; generally people appear respectful in direct proportion to the degree to which they need their jobs.

Finally, staying happy - again, I would repeat that you have a leg up on most employees in that you have such positive comments about the substance of your work. Talk with people in other walks of life to gain some perspective on how your situation differs from others. It could be that, in fact, your situation is much better than most; or, conversely, you might find by comparing notes that there are other workplaces that would be more appropriate for you. Keep your mind open so that you can learn, and so that you can be educated about the opportunities available outside your present sphere.

Sincerely,
Holly English