Why is George W. Bush so successful? Is it because he’s honest, charming and determined? I submit that there’s another, pervasive, quality of the Bush team that’s often overlooked – their managerial nature.
Bush and his team have work habits that are lifted straight out of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. The most impressive way this shows up is in scheduling. The Bush team plans obsessively, scheduling things that are days, weeks, months or even years away. Sometimes, when there’s an unexpected event, the team seems to be lost (witness Bush’s flying around aimlessly on 9/11/01.) However, they quickly find their footing and react with a carefully planned response. Here are some scheduling masterstrokes:
1. Ross Perot endorsed Bush the Thursday before election 2000. This would have had a tremendous impact on undecided voters; but, unfortunately, the Bush DUI charges came out the same day and completely overshadowed the Perot endorsement.
2. Going to the UN about Iraq on 9/12/02.
3. Bringing up the Iraq resolution a month before the 2002 elections.
4. Canning SEC chairman Harvey Pitt on election day, 2002, when the news was certain to be buried in an avalanche of election results.
5. Agreeing to an independent commission on 9/11, provided that it submits its report in 18 months. That way, there are no October Surprises against the president.
6. Releasing Clean Air act revisions the Friday before Thanskgiving.
7. Scheduling the 2004 Republican Convention for maximum advantage.
UPDATE: From a June article in the Washington Times about the 2004 Republican Convention scheduling coup:
Mr. McAuliffe said he will not reach a decision until after this fall’s elections. But it is clear the Democrats are struggling to find a way out of the box that Mr. Bush’s political operatives have put them in. “There is no easy option,” a frustrated Democratic strategist said.
Subscribe to blog feed.