Clinton School Blog #3

This week I gave a speech at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. Here’s my third post on the experience.

After the speech a few of the students from the Clinton School for Public Service invited me to join them for dinner. Over burrito bowls and beers we discussed the life paths of public and private service. Somehow we got on the subject of the biases in each direction.

• Corporate Monsters
• Ineffectual Bleeding Hearts

Those were a couple of the labels we identified, the worst ways that people on either side unfairly generalize about the people on the other side. Of course, there are plenty of ineffective people in the corporate world. And there are also self-aggrandizing, power hungry people in not-for-profits.

The key in either arena is to be aware of and avoid the temptations. Don’t let yourself get greedy and go down the Monster Track. Don’t get complacent and become an Ineffectual Bleeder. (Those were the names we bandied about.)

Even more important, watch out for both tracks in your organization. Don’t sit idly by and allow others to go down either path.