A small bit of bragging: I recently found out that my entry was selected as a winner of the Maytree Foundation’s “Five Good Ideas” contest. The request was for non-profit staff to offer suggestions to business leaders.
I suggested that the private sector not expect that people will be necessarily attracted to high salaries if the work is unfulfilling or unrewarding. I really believe this! I’ve also long hoped that governments would recognize that the power inherent in a high position is more important than the salary. I’d love to see salary decreases for everything from City Councilmembers to Senators and their advisors. I know that could create some undesirable incentives for other types of compensation, but I also think it might lead to a shift in thinking about public office. We say “public service” but there’s little about it that asks the person holding the office to “serve” or sacrifice, which I think exacerbates the desire to hold onto one’s elected office indefinitely, at the cost of focusing on good governance. Even if elected office were financially unrewarding, it would still attract to people who are passionate about social change. Kind of like the non-profit sector!
Similarly, if businesses recognized that a lot of “top talent” won’t come to – or stay at – an organization if the work is boring or if they feel ineffectual, companoies may start building a culture where the “perks” of an individual’s job are looked at holistically. I know in the non-profit sector, it’s been common for my supervisors to ask me what I want to learn or get out of a position I’m in. I don’t believe (admittedly based on totally unscientific, anecdotal evidence) that this type of conversation is as common in the private sector.
Anyway, here’s my winning entry:
We know that non-profit work doesn’t usually pay well, so why do smart people do it? Because people choose their vocations for reasons beyond salary. People want to work where they feel valued and respected. They want to know that what they’re doing has impact. They want to go home at night and not question whether they’re making the world better off. On these metrics non-profits easily beat the private sector, where it’s accepted wisdom that if you want the best people you have to pay the most. I’d like to tell my corporate colleagues that it’s not that simple. If you build a corporate culture that nurtures people’s passions and helps them feel committed to the outcomes they’re working towards, salary will no longer be your primary recruitment tool. It’s harder to do, but lasts longer.