This week I am happy to report that I experienced lessons in having patience but also receiving immediate gratification regarding one of my favorite career topics/passions: Public Sector Entrepreneurship!  Building public sector entrepreneurship in all fields of public service is not only professionally valuable…but necessary as government and politics evolve.  Whenever I receive a message from those who strongly or quietly share my passion…it is always a great experience.  So for this week, I thought it would be insightful to share my recent Entrepreneurship: Patience & Immediate Gratification moments!

First I received a message from a MBA student, (1) from another country, (2) who is an entrepreneur and (3) had just read my ASPA article: “Is Public Sector Entrepreneurship the Way to the Future?” …from over four (4) years ago!  His message was one of excitement, support and “fascination” concerning my thoughts and promotion of Public Sector Entrepreneurship.  Well as you can guess my reaction was one of appreciation for the recognition…but even more a reminder that patience is a very necessary professional requirement when promoting entrepreneurial advancement.

Then almost at the same time, I began to receive emails from a group of public service professionals I have been working with over the last few months.  I challenged them to produce “Just 1 Thing” that would improve their world-of-work and their IDEAS were/are great.  They all contain a high element of Public Sector Entrepreneurship and independent thought on how to raise their service “bar”.  These responses were an excellent form of Immediate Gratification and return-on-investment for the time I spent preaching continuous improvement.

Bottomline: You will never know the value of encouraging Public Sector (or Private Sector) Entrepreneurship. Patience and Immediate Gratification are both impactors for those who chase the innovation and creativity of entrepreneurship everyday…EVERYDAY! But regardless of when you receive positive feedback…Don’t take it for granted…: Don’t waste it…Learn from it…and Be sure to smile inside and outside knowing you made a difference.