Comparing Government and Private Sector Jobs

Fernando writes:

Dear Frank,

I have a good bit of experience, you know. How much of it will help me in the government?

Isn’t the government similar to the private sector? Will my private sector experience help me to be successful in the government?

Yours,

Fernando

The author responds:

Dear Fernando,

Your private sector experience will enable you to bring fresh ideas to your government position. However, it will not help you as much as you may think. The government is different from the private sector in many important ways; it is a different species.

Government is like the kudzu vine, once established it grows rapidly, overtaking everything in reach. And its reach is ever expanding. As it grows, it gallops up the trunk creating a mat over the tree, shrubs below, grass, weeds, other trees, everything, and smothers them until all that remains with life is the kudzu vine. 

The kudzu, which grows south of lower Pennsylvania, is becoming a common nuisance in the suburbs of Washington DC. The good news is that kudzu is limited by winter temperatures similar to the periodic restraints elections place on the government, effectively slowing it down for a season. 

Thousands of companies, mostly corporations and nonprofit organizations sometimes called non-government organizations (NGO’S) comprise the private sector. They are quite different from the kudzu vine. They are like stand-alone trees with defined lives and they cast a limited shadow. Small companies are like mimosa trees, which produce delicate pink flowers in the summer, living only about 25 years. Large multinational companies are like dogwood, willow, and cottonwood trees, which have roughly the same lifespan of humans, living until a fierce winter gale finds them in the later, weaker stages of life and knocks them over.

The government is the daddy as far as the private sector is concerned and, as with fathers, government is not always loved. In its superior role, the government creates an environment in which the private sector can survive, hopefully thrive, and create wealth to enable most citizens to continue to live better today than did most kings in medieval days. 

The government can print money with nothing behind it and give it to favored companies in terms of direct cash payments, by providing specific tax benefits and earmarks to certain companies, by awarding contracts or by transferring government jobs to the private sector.

In addition, the government creates laws allowing companies to continue doing business the way they like to do business or, infrequently, it can create laws that require companies to do business another way. Fernando, you will not experience this level of power, which is for the few in the White House and many in Congress. However, you will likely experience the exhilaration that goes with working on programs that affect the lives of all of the American public while you are contributing to the common good of the nation. Yet, be aware that there are additional and major differences between the government and the private sector.

 Twelve ways in which the government differs from the private sector.

• Politics, not just good business judgment, influences decisions in government, perhaps more so than in the private sector.
• Poor performance by some contractors is always a problem and accountability rarely exists, as you will see in the chapter “Managing contractors.”
• Several cultures exist within the government, each with their own idea of what is the right direction in any given case.
• Governments eagerly embrace every new “silver bullet” management process leading to a lot of wasted time when officials should be spending their time on actual work.
• There are endless laws, policies, processes and guidelines to follow which also detract from doing "real" work.
• Many political appointees lack experience to lead complex programs, which leads to strange and costly decisions.
• Companies underestimate the complexities of government requirements and are happy to bid on anything government officials can dream up, particularly in the technology area, even if the technology is not ready for prime time.
• The systems the government needs ordinarily do not exist because of their uniqueness, requiring development from scratch, with higher risk and cost.
• The government budget process begins two years in advance and, once set, it is difficult to change priorities or to obtain additional funds even though the needs and circumstances change.
• Establishing new positions and hiring to fill them can take 18 months in the government personnel system.
• Disciplining poor performance or firing an employee requires extensive documentation taking a year or more as you will see in the case study in the chapter on “Managing personnel, often an oxymoron.”
• When managing procurements for large-scale requirements, the government must advertise them and seek competitive bids, the negotiation process can take a year at a minimum, and awards might never be made due to endless protests by companies anxious for the business.

Fernando, working in any large organization is a challenge. Some managers are successful despite the difficulties. Others are overwhelmed and discouraged, and fail. My job is to help you to be one of those that succeed. The first step is to recognize the realities as we have done in this chapter. In later chapters, I will suggest approaches to overcome the difficulties and pitfalls.

I hope this helps you.

Frank

This is a summary of a chapter from “Navigate Your Way to Success in Your Government Assignments,” a book being written by Frank McDonough, a longtime senior federal executive. His book discusses 20 things that an executive needs to know before the first day on the job in a senior federal position and 20 other things that one needs to know after assuming the job.

To view the entire current chapter, go to: http://frankamcdonough.com/chaptersummary.html