Government worker wonders whether grass is greener in the private sector

Q: I am a manager in a government agency, but my friends tell me, "You should be out in the private sector making a boatload of money!" More and more I am beginning to agree with them.

I am concerned about this transition. Does the private world move that much faster? Is there less red tape, are the processes more efficient, and do organizations truly empower their employees? Do organizations train and then capture value from employees? Or is this a case of "the grass is always greener on the other side"?

NICK'S REPLY: The private world has its own problems and challenges. But I believe that it's more acceptable to defy convention in business than it is in government, and that's what stimulates change and growth.

Several years ago a good friend of mine left government after many years of successful service. He is frequently frustrated with business as most people are. But when I ask him if he regrets leaving government he says, "Never!" He gave up years of government seniority for a job as a middle manager who has a lot of control and flexibility in how he does his job.

The commercial world isn't much faster, there isn't a lot less red tape, things aren't much more efficient, and not everyone is empowered. But it does have one wonderful feature: You can change employers. In government, there's basically one employer. And there's a "file" on you that follows you around. That often makes people hesitate to defy convention on the job.

My opinion is that no one should be allowed to have a career in government. Five years and you're out; otherwise, you stagnate. Or you potentially become a bureaucrat with too much power. Government service should be service, not a career. (Oh, I'll get slapped for saying that.)

If you have aspirations outside government, explore them. I can't imagine many government jobs being as much fun as a good one in the commercial world. But I'm sure many people in government would disagree!

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Get your hiring off the curve.

Because they use salary scales to control what they pay, companies also limit the talent they hire. Companies pay on a bell curve. Most salaries are in the middle of the fat part of the curve where people perform adequately. Very few employees are highly paid for exceptional performance.

Watch the bell curve form on the job boards and in the personnel office where masses of job hunters gather. Companies routinely hire from the masses on the fat part of the bell curve.

But here is the problem. The best workers don't work cheaply, and you don't find them among the masses. They are the exceptions. They are not on the job boards or in your personnel office applying for a job.

If your company wants to hire the best workers, it must move itself off the fat part of the curve.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.