On the New York Times blog Room for Debate several experts batted around Cathie Black’s quick appointment and quick dismissal as the Chancellor of New York City public schools. Most of them recapped what I thought were less-than-insightful points-of-view. One response, by the Cato Institute’s Neal P. McCluskey, brought up a very intriguing idea that I’ve been unable to get out of my mind for the last 5 days since I read his article. “In business, you don’t need public consensus to get things done. In something run by democratic government, you do.”
Cathie Black’s short tenure
Cathie Black was an abundantly successful giant in the publishing industry. She’s smart, savvy, and courageous. Taking the position as the NYC Public Schools Chancellor took a tremendous amount of guts. I don’t think she was fully-prepared for the complexities of the job. And while I was disappointed and shocked by some of her very public and distasteful mishaps (i.e., joking that birth control could help the overcrowding problems in schools), I was also sorry that she seemed to get very little guidance from former Chancellors. After a number of years working in the corporate world and after spending an equal number of years in the nonprofit world (some of that time in a government role), I whole-heartedly support Mr McCluskey’s opinion that making it in business is far easier than making it in the nonprofit / public sectors because of the consensus factor. The difference is public scrutiny and approval. I would go so far as to say that if you name any of today’s Fortune 500 CEO as the Chancellor of NYC Public Schools, they would likely follow in Black’s footsteps.
I’ve never bought into this idea that a good business person would naturally be a good fit as the head of a public organization. Business experience and the skills that come along with it, are not the be all end all of leadership. If anything, they’re only one small piece of the leadership pie. A leader also needs charisma, ethics, public speaking ability, creative acumen, and passion for the cause. Most importantly they need to have empathy and compassion for the people working alongside them. It’s entirely possible to cross the chasm, and the skills of business and nonprofit management can certainly support one another. That has absolutely been the case in my career. It just isn’t a given, which brings me to my latest political heartache – the potential candidacy of Donald Trump for President of the United States. Heaven help us – he may be the only Republican candidate who I fear more than Sarah Palin.
The Donald
On the Today Show last week, Meredith Viera asked The Donald why he thought he was qualified to be President. The first words out of his mouth? “Well, I hate to even say this, Meredith, but I did build the #1 rated show on NBC.” Given NBC’s recent track record of shows, I wouldn’t consider this a difficult feat. (That’s changed a bit in the past few years with the brilliant 30 Rock, and others like Parks & Recreation. For a while, The Office seemed to be their only saving grace.) The Donald’s second comment was that he’s an excellent businessman and therefore qualified to run the United States. And he topped it all off with his now-infamous rant about how President Obama is not a real U.S. citizen. I started having flashbacks to the ignorant dark ages of GWB. I have two words for you, Donald – “Cathie Black”.
What business people can learn from the public sector
For too long, business skills have been considered the silver bullet. “If you can run a corporation, you can do anything.” Bologna. As a business person myself, I think that view is elitist and short-sighted. We have to stop thinking of the public sector as the second sector. It’s much more complex than business, more difficult to lead, and to be honest, has much further-reaching, long-lasting effects on our society. The Chancellor of NYC public schools is responsible for educating the future adults of New York City. The President of the United States is the leader of the free world as it stands today. Think about that for a moment. These are incredibly awesome scales of responsibility, and need to be treated with the reverence that they deserve. Consensus, my dear business colleagues, is a much more lofty and difficult goal than driving stock prices and the bottom line. Approach these types of jobs with humility – we are beginners in this space. We have a lot to learn.
Christa Avampato 