Two young people go to work for the German government…

It could be the beginning of a joke. Instead, it’s the beginning of a career.

One new joiner meets their team, attends the standard orientation, receives a thick handbook full of procedures and rules. They are quickly introduced to “the way things work around here.” In a short time, they learn to work just like everyone else.

Another new joiner goes through the same orientation, gets the same handbook. But their HR person adds something unexpected:

“Join a peer learning Circle.”

A small group where you practice making helpful contributions. Building relationships. Discovering your own path.

Why?

“Because, yes, you may find bureaucracy here.
You may meet people who’ve grown tired or cynical.
But you’ll also find smart, dedicated people doing meaningful work.

Your job in your Circle is to find those people.
To learn more about what they do.
And to never forget: you can make a positive difference here.”

This isn’t hypothetical.

Last week I spoke with a pioneering team at Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR) about exactly this.
I talked with Tim Beckmann and Dr. Ramona Grieb about other municipal organizations and introducing Circles there.

More than five million people work in the German public sector. Millions more worldwide.

Imagine someone you care about going to work there.

What kind of start would you want them to have?
What kind of future?

If you began working here today, what kind of start would you have?
What kind of future?