The False Binary of Public and Private
Tracking with the hyper-polarization of American politics, I’ve noticed an increasing hostility between the U.S. public and private sectors that is detrimental to the health and productivity of both sectors. This rising animus and persistent denigration of sectors creates a good/evil false binary that silos talent, resources, and ideas thereby limiting the potential of both sectors as well as the overall economy.
I’ve spent my career dabbling in a combination of public sector, non-profit, and private sector work and I believe that we are all better served when the lines between them are blurred by shared goals and resources. The tax structures, ethos, and laws delineating the public/private sector make each better at certain functions than others, but none of these is inherently ‘good’ or 'bad’. Leaders in both sectors can leverage the respective sector advantages for maximum good or extort the respective loopholes for corruption and greed; sometimes they do both simultaneously.
I’ve worked in K-12 education for over a decade as a teacher, advocate, non-profit board member, and business owner; I’ve witnessed the greatest impact when all of these stakeholders collaborate. When we relegate any of these stakeholders to the worst stereotypes of their sector, we dramatically limit the brain power and resources for solving any shared problem.
There are brilliant, hard-working people in both arenas; there are lazy morons in both arenas, too. I’ve seen public officials abuse power for personal gain and I’ve seen corporate CEOs forgo their own salary to pay employees. I’ve seen brilliant public servants chased out of town over petty personal vendettas and I’ve seen private executives profit from malfeasance. There are corporate teams fiercely committed to fulfilling social missions and public agencies who have completely abrogated theirs. Some school districts accomplish monumental feats on shoestring budgets while some VC-backed companies fritter away tens or hundreds of millions of dollars on frivolities. There are no categorical rules of behavior, intelligence, morals, or work ethic in either sector.
Have you heard? The times: they are unprecedented. The U.S. is likely going to be reeling from the impact of COVID-19 for a decade and we had no shortage of problems pre-COVID. We’re facing monstrous national debt, historic unemployment, climate change, crumbling infrastructure, revolution-level inequality; our schools have fallen in international rankings while our incarceration rates climb. We cannot afford to exclude talent, resources, and ideas on any of these challenges and many, many more. Leaders in every sector must strive for hybrid public-private partnerships.
Assigning moral absolutes to an entity’s tax status is a losing game; we must judge organizations based on the character of their leaders, the way they treat employees, the nobility of their mission, and the caliber of their work. When we allow for nuance, we expand the pool of talent, ideas, resources, and tools available for solving pressing challenges efficiently, successfully, and cost-effectively.
