Opinion: I’m Taking You Behind The Scenes With Shasta County’s Public Servants

I’m here to introduce a sort-of, not-really, advice column for Shasta Scout. 

Sometime around 1690 the first known advice column was published in a London newspaper and three hundred years later our love affair with learning from anonymous questions answered by an “expert” persists. From Dear Abby’s classic life advice to Ask a Manager’s no-nonsense career tips to r/relationships for crowdsourced help from the Reddit community, there’s a plethora of options to seek and receive pithy advice to all life’s questions. 

I assume you read Shasta Scout for the same reason I do – real, in depth, journalistic reporting that seeks the truth, builds democracy, and grows the reader as an informed citizen with every story. No click bait or cat videos here. In this fast and furious world, it’s a relief and reprieve to slow down, be handed a warm beverage, and invited to consider big ideas that truly matter to our democracy. 

In contrast, the typical advice column teems with sit-com worthy in-laws, worst date horror stories, and inequitable bosses, giving us a feeling of guilty delight over someone else’s misfortune and, more importantly, proof that we are not alone.

That’s good stuff, and worth keeping (the social connection part, not the horrible dates, in-laws, and bosses). But as someone who offers constructive feedback and guidance for a living,  I have found myself wondering how I could take something as well-worn and time-honored as the advice column and add more depth, learning, and democracy.

Today, I’m introducing you to just such a column: Inside Public Service. The idea was born over hot drinks at a local cafe as Shasta Scout’s editor and I shared mutual concern for the wellbeing of local community leaders at a time of political upheaval. As Scout’s editorial team continues to focus on hard-hitting government accountability reporting we were looking for a way to offer the public a window into what happens in government behind closed doors.

Each month I will take you behind government office doors as a public servant vulnerably and personally shares their unique day-to-day challenges. What keeps librarians, community college deans, police officers, and social workers up at night? What struggles are they facing? What’s their deepest wish?  As a leadership coach and PhD neuroscientist, I will ask questions that get beyond the surface story to spark inner insight and tangible action that will address the root causes of some of these servants’ deepest concerns. My focus will be on growing each community leader to meet the challenges they face so they can focus on doing good in our community. 

These leader’s will have their stories fully anonymized (neither their boss nor Shasta Scout’s editorial team will be know it’s them) and spun into a sort-of, not-really, advice column that lets you see the human behind the service. For example, my first column will feature Janette Tralskey (not her real name), a local school board member who helped steer her district through the uncharted waters of the pandemic. Over time, we hope to introduce you to the inner lives of election workers, public health employees, firefighters, park rangers, and many many more. Along the way, I hope to serve all of you, the readers, by drawing out general leadership and life challenges that many of us experience. That’s why each story will end with insights and “ahas” that anyone can learn from. 

This column’s focus on public service is designed to help you learn about democracy and the real people who serve our community. I define “public servant” very broadly as anyone who works for an agency that serves the collective needs of the community. Think beyond elected office (hard to do during election season, I know) to consider libraries, public safety, transportation, military, the forest service, post offices, parks and rec, social services, and schools. 

Most of these organizations receive government funding, but some, like public utilities, are owned and operated by the private sector with strict regulations. Some public servants are paid for their work (e.g. city, county, state, federal, public charity, or tribal employee), but others are unpaid (e.g. school board or volunteer firefighter). According to the Brookings Institution, the public sector comprises just over 15% of the American workforce, around 24 million people.

I’m already meeting with folks in local government for this column. Do you serve the public and find yourself stuck on a big wish, frustration, or challenge? Feel free to reach out. My email is below.

Irene Salter’s career has taken her from premier neuroscience labs to the middle school classroom, from museum exhibit designer to university chairwoman, from a school superintendent’s desk to the nonprofit boardroom. Now, she encourages the light in leaders and their teams to shine brighter. In this monthly column, Irene coaches a local public servant and draws out leadership lessons that anyone can learn from. If you are a servant leader in need of support, please reach out directly to Irene at irene@irenesalter.com or learn more at www.irenesalter.com