Fighting Cynicism with Goodwill in Public Service

Andre

Welcome back to Engaging Thought. I'm Andre, joined, as always, by my friend Eric Marquette. Today, we’re digging into something a lot of people in public service don’t like to admit—how cynicism and negative assumptions can literally cost lives.

Eric Marquette

Yeah, and we’re starting with a pretty sobering case. Last year, Kingsley Bimpong—he was a Minnesota postal worker—died after being locked up instead of getting the medical help he needed. I covered stories like this in the past, Andre, and it never gets easier. What happened was, Kingsley left work with a headache, made a wrong turn, and the police assumed he was on drugs instead of recognizing the signs of a stroke. He ended up dying in custody. Horrific stuff.

Andre

It's frustrating, Eric, because it wasn’t a knowledge gap. Paramedics weren’t called, nobody tested for drugs, and the officers even had someone mention he might be having a stroke—on their own body cam, actually. Yet, nobody steps up. Instead, folks acted on assumptions. That's the kind of deliberate indifference that gets built up with cynicism in these systems.

Eric Marquette

I mean, when I think back to my early days, covering county agencies and city governments—what strikes me is how quickly people inside the system start to see every “case” as just another form. Like, they forget: these are human beings, not checklists. And yeah, sometimes there are knowledge gaps, but a lot of the time it’s just that everyone’s bracing for the worst, looking to avoid liability...that’s cynicism creeping in, not good professional skepticism.

Andre

Yes—and you see that in more than just policing. We actually have some research that shows when cynicism shows up—whether it’s in hospitals, agencies, you name it—commitment and satisfaction drop, people leave, the quality suffers, and in the Bimpong case, people die. You can almost track how organizational cynicism explains a huge chunk of negative outcomes in public service. Not just morale, but real, devastating results.

Eric Marquette

Right. And the scary part? Once that attitude takes hold, it spreads. Like, each new staffer picks up on it, and suddenly it becomes the norm to assume the worst about everyone who comes through the door. We’ve talked about organizational cynicism before, but this…this shows how high the stakes really are.

Andre

And that's why today, we need to ask not just what caused that tragedy, but why were those assumptions so strong—and how do we root them out before they become routine. There’s real cost to cynicism, and it’s not just numbers on a survey or folks leaving jobs—it's loss of life. All right, let’s keep pulling that thread, because that mindset shift is at the heart of public service.

Andre

Let’s get real for a second, Eric. Public service often talks about “cases” and “clients” and “consumers.” But when you treat people like files or forms, you miss who they actually are—what their actual needs might be. It might sound basic, but that's where all kinds of trouble starts.

Eric Marquette

Absolutely. I mean, the Bimpong case—you see the system treat Kingsley like just another person to process, not a man who was sick and needed compassion. In healthcare, in corrections, in any service—the minute you forget the person behind the problem, you're rolling the dice with real consequences.

Andre

And there are some pretty practical things anyone can do, right? Like, just pausing—take a breath before you snap to judgment. Ask questions. I've always said, when you get that itch to assume you know what's going on? That's your cue to dig deeper, not double down. That quick check might save a career—or a life.

Eric Marquette

Can you share the story you told me, Andre, about that HR shutdown? That’s always stuck with me.

Andre

Yeah, so—this was about five, maybe six years ago. I’m not gonna name the employee for privacy, but one of my staffers wanted to fire someone right away—“They’re always late, not engaged, not responding to emails.” You get the picture. But something felt off, so I pulled the employee in. Turns out, their father was terminally ill, and they’d been spending nights at the hospital, running back and forth. Nobody even asked. We almost made a permanent mistake off a temporary assumption. One honest conversation turned it all around—we found accommodations, everyone learned, nobody lost their job. It's so easy to assume, but taking the time to understand not only helped that person, it built trust with the whole team.

Eric Marquette

That’s huge. Those moments—they remind you why goodwill matters. If public servants or leaders stay curious, stay humble, they actually see people, not problems. Which, you know, ties back to our episode a few weeks ago about conflict—building psychological safety by leading with questions instead of accusations. Same principle.

Andre

Exactly. And building goodwill isn’t just about being “nice”—it’s strategic. When you see people as individuals, you make better decisions as a leader and as a team. That keeps cynicism in check before it grows legs. Let’s talk about how to build that across a bigger scale—systems and policy, not just one-on-one.

Eric Marquette

So, what actually works to push back against cynicism once it’s already set in? Because honestly, it’s way easier to let the default become “everyone’s just faking it or causing trouble.” But that’s when, like, public service totally loses its soul, you know?

Andre

Yeah—and that’s not just poetic, it’s backed by plenty of evidence now. Research on hospitals and public agencies shows that as cynicism climbs, commitment, satisfaction, and even basic job performance all drop. It’s not just a morale issue—it drives people away and leads to worse outcomes. Luckily, things like regular training can help. You keep reminding people: “This work matters, these people matter.” Community engagement is big for that too—get out of the back office, actually meet the faces behind the numbers. It reconnects you to the mission.

Eric Marquette

And even small habits can help. I always tell folks—do a self-check every week. Like, if you feel yourself rolling your eyes at client stories, or you catch yourself making snap calls, that’s a sign to slow down. Peer feedback helps too—sometimes you need a colleague to say, “Hey, I think you’re starting to sound jaded.” Accountability isn’t about punishment, it’s about kind of steering each other back to center.

Andre

And then, on a systems level—big fixes need follow-through. Part of the lawsuit from the Bimpong tragedy is pushing for actual policy changes at Dakota County Jail. We’ve seen other places, too—policy reforms after high-profile incidents. But policies on paper don’t mean much unless people believe in them, and there's accountability when people slip. That means talking about mistakes, being transparent, getting staff involved in defining what change really should look like.

Eric Marquette

That’s a key thing. One, change works better when folks actually have a voice. Studies—like, from the Australian public sector—have shown that when employees are involved and folks really communicate about change, cynicism drops. And trust in senior management isn’t just a cliché—it really shapes how change lands on the ground.

Andre

Exactly. So, whether you’re a frontline worker or a leader, the work never really stops. We have to keep chipping away at cynicism with concrete actions. If we don’t, the outcomes are tragic—just look at how quickly one bad assumption can lead to loss, for a family, for a community.

Eric Marquette

Alright, I think that’s a good place to land today. If you’re listening and you work in public service—take care of yourself, and each other. Andre, thanks for the conversation, as always. Let’s keep finding ways to build more goodwill, one real human moment at a time.

Andre

Thanks, Eric, always great to dig in with you. And for all our listeners, we’ll be back soon with more conversations about what it really means to serve, to lead, and to stay engaged—even when it’s tough. Take care, everybody.