Public Service: To Infinity and Beyond
I was reading the print version of the Wall Street Journal today, and came upon an ad (which, according to this press release I dug up, has been running since Sept. 2006) that I think says a lot about how public service is viewed in this country now. I'll let the text of the ad speak for itself:
There’s an old saying: “The sins of the father will be visited upon the son.” But the same can be said about the father’s good deeds. Take Justin Kawabori, for example. His father is a civil servant in Seattle who develops programs for the elderly. From that influence, Justin became interested in public service at an early age. And after graduating from college, he became a campaign consultant for various political organizations and candidates. But rather than change policy from the top down, Justin wanted to make a difference from the bottom-up, grassroots level. So he left campaign consulting and went to work for several charitable organizations, where philanthropic entrepreneurship and fundraising allowed him to help advance initiatives in family-friendly business and faith-based welfare reform. Recently, Justin returned to consulting, but this time with an expanded expertise. He formed his own company, KC Communications, which covers a broad range of PR, marketing and communications. He enjoys his new line of work. He’s proud that he’s been able to make a difference. And so is his father.Justin Kawabori drives the Infiniti G Sedan.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not trying to suggest by posting this that there's something illegitimate about what Kawabori is doing with his life -- just that today's concept of "public service" doesn't necessarily involve working for the government, and doesn't preclude making enough money that you can afford to drive an Infiniti.
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Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy.
I think that the drivers of Infinities might be linked to the off-shoring of American jobs. Make it in a slave state and sell it here for the full price.
Wise Old Owl Posted Thursday, February 21, 2008 4:04 PMAs a second-generation public servant, I am inspired by the following quote: "What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."
A son of a bureaucrat Posted Friday, February 22, 2008 5:24 AMYeah! Thanks for recognizing that "public service" more often than not goes 'way beyond government work. There are lots of federal employees getting paid handsomely for doing service to no one but themselves, and lots of union stewards supporting their "rights" to do so. As for the Infinity, that's simply a sign that the guy has found his calling. It has nothing to do with whether he is serving the public.
Ron Posted Friday, February 22, 2008 9:48 AMInteresting article. I just read it, and I agree with your point.
My father, Dr. Chisato Kawabori, just retired from 37-years of federal government service (not including two additional years of military service as an officer in the U.S. Army); 33 of those years as the Regional Administer for the U.S. Administration on Aging, Region 10. My talk and toast at his recent retirement party centered on the highlights and accomplishments of his career, which were directly related to his character, integrity and passion for helping others. That’s what my young business is all about.
I founded Kawabori Communication (initially KC Communications) to help small to medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations and political candidates thrive and succeed in a dynamic and highly competitive marketplace, offering my clients distinct and creative messaging, strategic planning, messaging implementation and client/business development to impart vision and convey passion for what they do better than anyone else in their market niche. In short, I help my clients to clarify objectives, and to identify and leverage their unique qualities and offerings to deliver on those objectives.
While many people are genuinely really good at what they do, with their services being an important offering to the marketplace and to our communities, most people don’t like self-promotion. That’s where I come in. What I teach my clients (and help them accomplish) is that marketing and PR isn’t as much about self-promotion as it is education. Others need to know who they are and what they have to offer so that everyone can win! And at the end of the day, both for me and my clients, I genuinely believe that profitability is much more about contribution than acquisition, meaning it's more bout what I can give than what I can get in return.
One of the responses you received mentioned the idea of a “calling.” Let me address that as well. My business is as much about ministry as it is about providing a service. My first career (during and after college) was in politics, including both legislative work and campaign consulting all over the west coast. My second career (from my late twenties into my late thirties) was in non-profit ministry, ranging from community organizing to fundraising and philanthropy. This new third career affords me the opportunity to have influence in all of those arenas in a new and different way. Very few businesses focus on having a direct impact on each key market sector with overlap and the long-term desire to positively affect change in our culture in mind. I honestly do.
Business is the economic engine that drives society, and where most people spend the majority of their time away from home. Politics shapes the laws that govern our society. Both electoral and legislative politics (government affairs) are key influencers in that process, and they directly affect business. The non-profit and faith-based sectors are the flip side of business and politics, fulfilling the grass-roots work (beyond corporate contribution or government administration) that needs to be done to shape culture and directly help people in need. To have a business that impacts each sector, and to have them intertwined, will yield significant influence to shape the culture. And that's what I'd like to build my business to do.
What that means is that I now understand my “calling” – a combination of mission, vision and passion, with all three being necessary to succeed:
Mission is what God created you to be and to do as His Ambassador for Christ – it is the heart or foundation of a calling;
Vision is where you will take your mission and what you desire to accomplish over time – it is the goal and impact of a calling; and,
Passion is the conviction behind it – it is the enthusiasm from the Holy Spirit that keeps you moving forward daily.
My vocation, then, is to be a full-time ambassador for Jesus Christ in all that I do, and my avocation is simply the vehicle through which He will use my gifts, talents, abilities, experiences and faith application to reflect that ambassadorship and help others. In this case, it is my business, which, as previously mentioned, is also a ministry that reflects Christ in what I do, in what I say, through my actions and products, how I serve and interact with my clients, and the impact my life will have on our culture.
I am proud of my father for his lifelong commitment, dedication and impact through federal public service. He has truly had an honorable and worthy career. The article from the Infiniti Ad, run several times now in the Wall Street Journal, accurately highlights his influence on our nation, our culture and on me. It is my desire to emulate my father, and his success, in my own way – in a way that genuinely fits me.
As for my Infiniti, I stand by my quote in the Ad press release: “To the sports car enthusiast who has to play grown-up, the G35 is the perfect car. It performs as a genuine sports car while offering all the amenities a business professional needs in a mid-sized luxury sedan. From acceleration to comfortability, from cornering to trunk space, it’s the full package and the real deal.” It’s simply a vehicle that helps me to do my work in a way that fits me!
Justin Kawabori
Founder, Kawabori Communication
"Impart Vision. Convey Passion."
www.JustinKawabori.com
Justin Kawabori Posted Sunday, April 6, 2008 2:20 PM