The Effective Use of the President’s Time – Part 2

The Effective Use of the President’s Time – Part 2

Richard Nixon”™s approach to running the West Wing reshaped the role of the Chief of Staff to the point that it is still largely used to this day in the Office of the President.  Interestingly, Eisenhower had a Chief of Staff, but most decisions were made by Cabinet Secretaries.  Kennedy did not have a Chief of Staff and operated in a more free style with no intentional chain of command as to how decisions were made.  Nixon changed the approach so that decisions were made in the White House and executed then by Cabinet Secretaries.  He divided White House responsibilities into 3 areas:  Domestic Council, National Security Council, and the Office of the President. Nixon wanted information mostly in written form and received it only from a few people with whom he would discuss it.  They created the position of the Staff Secretariat who distributed the paper work appropriately. Trust was the most important commodity. Nixon was a very private person and preferred to consider succinct written proposals, summaries or analyses, with a few people. Decisions were made in the White House and Cabinet Secretaries executed those decisions. 7:30 a.m. was the start time for most White House senior officials. Nixon was careful with his public activities and focused on what would be the most significant issues. The president spent a tremendous amount of time on fewer things. Haldeman had a lack of ego, a passion for anonymity, but a self-confidence in his own ability.  Trust and focus were his emphases. The story of the day, everyday, was “Think it Through!”  Everything was thought through to the maximum. Every day at 2:00...
The Effective Use of the President’s Time

The Effective Use of the President’s Time

Last year on President”™s Day, Kelly and I took a trip down to Yorba Linda and the Richard Nixon Library and Foundation.  Admission was free, so we joined some 5,000 other people taking advantage of the opportunity.  The highlight of the day was the panel lecture on “The Effective Use of the President”™s Time.”  The panel was made up of four men who served in the West Wing of the White House and, more specifically, worked directly under H. R. “Bob” Haldeman, Nixon”™s Chief of Staff.  They discussed the climate of which Nixon assumed the presidency, how foreign trips were staffed, and most importantly, how they helped the President make the best use of his time. Nixon”™s end is usually where we begin in thinking about his time in office and tends to dominate the flavor of the entirety of his presidency.  That is unfortunate.  Many, initiatives, policies, and governmental advancements that remain in place today were initiated during his years in the White House.  In fact, the entire structure of the modern day Office of the President was essentially created during his tenure and remains in tact today.  The lecture was a fascinating look into the Presidency. Today and Friday I”™ll post my bulleted notes from the lecture.  On Saturday, I”™ll give a few thoughts on how these themes could bring helpful consideration to an ordinary pastor”™s ministry. Nixon was friendly, but we were not friends. Nixon lost the 1960 election because he tried to run the campaign himself.  In 1968 (the year he won the Presidency), he put key managers in every position. Haldeman issued a memo in the 1968...