Fed 100: Honors well deserved

The Federal 100 awards gala is tonight, and the occasion is a good opportunity to pause and reflect on the value of federal employees.

Each year, the Federal 100 awards typically include some top leaders and some midlevel managers from government and industry whose work spans a broad range of areas. What they have in common is that they go above and beyond the call of duty with innovation, creative problem-solving and sheer hours spent addressing an issue.

A recent blog entry from Phil Piemonte asks feds to what extent they're motivated by pay. The Fed 100 suggests that, for many at least, money is a lesser factor. These are people who might earn a good paycheck but, even so, are working far more than they're required to.

Why they do it is a question that might have as many answers as there are awardees. For some, it's public service; for others, personal pride in a job done exceedingly well. For some, it's about providing leadership to a team; for others, it's about persuading colleagues to share a new vision.

Whatever the motivation, we're proud to cover this community day to day and pleased to be able to honor some of the brightest lights in the government sky.