Moving back to the private sector

I was employed in the private sector for twenty years, took a position in the state government for thirteen years before returning to the private sector, I was ready to return to the mining industry.

What a revelation, after working in an environment rewarding low-performers, becoming an integral member of a high-performance team is gratifying. So why does the public sector reward such low-performance?

Ok, it attracts a certain individual initially, they tend to fit in with the low-outcome culture and embed themselves in the meritocracy that they envisioned. Then, for the performers, the bureaucracy creates as many obstacles as they can to hinder performance.

High-performing individuals tend not to be promoted, instead the prevalence of favouritism, nepotism and cronyism abound. I broke free of the public sector and the public-sector mentality, the reason I never achieved my goals in the public sector were clear. I was asked to engage in corrupt behaviour and I flatly refused - I maintained my personal integrity.

So when I moved back to the private sector in a leadership position, personal attributes like values, integrity, credibility enhancing culture are desired. What I learned at business school is being applied in the workplace, not just the terminology but the principles.

I had never worked in the government before, as a private sector employee I had learnt a certain work ethic, a standard of work and required attitude. Yes, the government sector does attract a certain type of applicant and I learned that I couldn't change their attitude.

I can't recall why I stayed working for the state government for so long, it is so depressing. The most obvious noticeable difference is work ethic, that goes without saying. A lack of both personal and organisational accountability fairly clear, leadership is a term thrown around pretty loosely.

Leadership posters are hanging on office walls everywhere, I struggle to recall any concrete displays of any leadership examples. Teamwork is also an obvious answer, for reasons I cannot fathom, teams just don't seem to gel in government. However, if I got to select my own team then we would over-perform but these would be rare instances.

So now I am back in the private sector, the mining industry employed on an international project and loving it. As an expat the role is pretty much leadership. There are no leadership posters hanging on walls anywhere but we are expected to display measurable leadership on a daily basis and I couldn't be happier.