George Bush, Manager

According to David Frum, George Bush was most interested in hiring people who were submissive personalities. Then he gave these timid souls huge amounts of personal responsibility. The result was a disaster.

What he really needed were people who did not break under pressure and the only way to recruit and retain them is to give them the opportunity to serve a cause not a person.

Bush demanded a very personal kind of loyalty.... he tested that loyalty with constant petty teasing, sometimes verging on the demeaning.

These little abuses... weed out strong personalities and... build an inner circle defined by a willingness to accept absolute subordination....

...weak personalities break under pressure. And since a White House is the world’s highest-pressure environment, a wise president will seek to staff it with strong personalities.

To recruit and hold strong personalities, a president must must offer a compelling vision and ideal — a cause that people can serve without feeling servile.