A recent nonprofit leadership study conducted by Community Resource Exchange and Performance Programs Inc. and published in the Nonprofit Quarterly (Winter 2007) compares nonprofit and for-profit leaders finding that:

Self-ratings of nonprofit leaders are not significantly different than self-ratings of for-profit leaders except in the area of openness to feedback where nonprofit leaders rated themselves higher than for-profit leaders;

Nonprofit leaders' ratings are higher than for-profit leaders in 14 of 17 dimensions except in push/pressure, the ability to cope with stress and trustworthiness;

Direct reports' ratings of nonprofit leaders are higher than the ratings from direct reports of for-profit leaders;

Peer ratings of nonprofit leaders are higher than peer ratings of for-profit leaders;

SO....learning?  Nonprofit execs think they are nicer than for-profit execs and so does everyone else.  Maybe it's the perceived low level of pay... maybe something else.  But, even if they are nicer, it doesn't mean they are more effective and efficient -- I wonder what that study would produce?