The Leadership of George Bush: An Insider's View of the Forty-first President

Five: Behind the Scenes

92 Five : BEHIND THE SCENES W hen he was national security adviser to President Reagan, Frank Carlucci held the view that by 6:00 p.m. the work day should be finished and one should set off for home. It was an appealing notion, and Carlucci was often able to meet his own deadline. Unfortunately, for a White House staffer there is no magic end to the work day and the sacrifices that a staffer must make. All too often one thinks only of the financial sacrifices. Public salaries cannot compete with private salaries, and there are frequent reports of officials who leave their government positions for the private sector to be able to deal with children’s college bills and even the daily costs of maintaining a home and family. Overall, the White House is a career incubator. Its staff have moved on to successful careers in business, politics, education, the media, the nonprofit sector, and other areas of government. However, before many of these careers are embarked upon there are sacrifices other than financial that officials endure in the political world of the White House or the various departments and agencies. And their sacrifices greatly impact family life, put undue pressures and responsibilities on a spouse, and disrupt the memorable experiences of their children. Working at the White House is a twenty-four-hour-a-day job. Much of a staffer’s waking hours are physically spent in the complex, including weekends , and when not in the office a staffer is on call or mentally replaying the latest meeting, planning the next meeting or event, making telephone calls, behind the scenes 93 or reviewing how a task has been carried out. Working literally from sunup to well beyond the onset of evening, many days go by without an opportunity to interact at length with children or one’s spouse. Furthermore, extended domestic and foreign trips bring long separations, when a spouse is left with all the parental responsibilities. Usually these trips mean missing birthdays, First Holy Communions, and other religious and family events that are part of a child’s—and family’s—experiences that should produce fond memories. For the children of many White House staff members, there is a void in the photos and memories. The Extended Staff Family George Bush was aware of the sacrifices the staff endured and sought to soften the hardships as much as possible. He understands that all success starts with people and that how you treat them and respond to their strengths and failures will shape the outcome of any activity. Whether it was in the world of diplomacy, intelligence, or politics, Bush held to this philosophy. It was this characteristic that shaped President Bush’s relationship with the staff and helped to inspire those around him. Bush understood the need to create and maintain an environment that was friendly, helped motivate people, and provided the incentive to work hard and enjoy the challenges that they faced. “The fact is that one of the best ways to keep people focused,” states Sununu, “is to let them understand that what they are dealing with is serious.” However, they should not take themselves too seriously, Sununu says, and it’s best to have a president “who is smart enough to be able to balance the seriousness of the issue with the opportunity to create a system and a process and a climate in which people like to work.” Writing notes of appreciation to staffers and others as a means of reward and incentive was an important part of Bush’s style. In addition, the White House made a point of giving out certificates suitable for framing to recognize accomplishments, ranging from a staffer’s initial ride on Air Force One to helping out at a summit or other special event. According to Sununu, one of the hallmarks of President Bush is that he knew how critical it was to keep a staff inspired and to keep a cohesive agenda and that his role in doing that by stroking the staff was absolutely 94 the leadership of george bush critical. It is amazing how important . . . the most trivial of rewards in terms of their materialistic perception is in stimulating people when that reward is delivered by a president. Whether it’s a cuff link or...