The Banality of Good
In 1961, the renowned political philosopher Hannah Arendt was tasked by The New Yorker with covering the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi bureaucrat responsible for organizing the logistics of Hitler’s Final Solution. Her findings, which were ultimately published as a book in 1963 entitled, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, were as studied as they were controversial.
Arendt, herself Jewish, came under heavy criticism for labeling the actions of Eichmann as banal. He was a “terrifyingly normal” bureaucrat, she observed, who was motivated not by the ideals of public service, but merely by procedural correctness and obedience to authority.
“Bureaucrat” can be an irksome word around Washington. In the closing days of my time as a Presidential Management Fellow, I spoke to a political appointee about my pending departure to the private sector. He was ecstatic about my leaving DC, disdainful of bureaucracy, rhetorically prodding: “What were you going to do, be a civil servant forever?!”
Arendt carefully detailed the banality of evil, and the dangers of a bureaucracy motivated by ideals other than public service. But what I observed throughout my experience meeting and working alongside other Presidential Management Fellows - contrary to the musings of my political colleague - was an empathic cohort of inspired problem solvers eager to improve the lives of American citizens.
In short, there was a banality of good.
Many PMFs turned down lucrative careers in the private sector. They entered federal service with the perspective that it was just that: service. They were committed to improving the country’s infrastructure, not because they were directed to do so but because they wanted to ensure bridges are safe to drive on. They sought to expand access to healthcare in underserved communities, not because it was their job, but because they grew up in the same community they are now serving. They entered the diplomatic corps, not to singularly “advance America’s interests abroad,” but because they understood that despite our shortcomings, the democratic virtues of freedom, liberty, and justice can positively transform lives around the globe.
And for those keeping score, there is a lot – a lot – that the US government has gotten wrong over the years. From delayed and still incomplete action on civil rights, to its treatment of Native Americans, to its occasional hammer-hits-nail approach to foreign policy; we cannot and should not ignore our collective shortcomings.
But for those I met in Washington, the decision to become a PMF was an acknowledgement: my job will be to serve others, while working for a government that, despite all its flaws, holds a unique place in the modern, globalized world.
The juxtaposition of good versus evil, especially in the context of global affairs and national identities can be problematic. But every so often, scenarios present themselves that are not morally opaque, scenarios that delineate a line in the sand between just and unjust causes. And, more often than not, I found PMF’s working squarely in the column of the just.
As more PMFs join the federal ranks and influence decision making at the highest levels of government, perhaps more actions taken by the United States will, over time, fall under that same category of just and unambiguous. They are actions fueled by empathic public servants, not soulless bureaucrats mind-numbingly following orders for the sake of procedural correctness.
Become a Presidential Management Fellow to serve as an agent of the good in this world? How banal.
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Ryan Stelzer is co-founder of Strategy of Mind, an executive coaching and organizational development consultancy rooted in philosophy and psychology. Prior to consulting, he served in the Obama White House as a Presidential Management Fellow, where his team was responsible for improving and sustaining high levels of performance across federal agencies. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Huffington Post, and he pens a weekly newsletter for LinkedIn. His first book, Think Talk Create: Building Workplaces Fit for Humans (Hachette: PublicAffairs), was published in September 2021.
Special thank you to fellow PMF, Erin Foster West, for her thoughtful edits and careful insight.