Bush Lessons

• Create the right structure. Bush arrived at the Oval Office knowing that he would not put a gatekeeper between him and his closest advisers. Instead, he employed a flat model built on personal relationships, to make sure that his inner circle had access to him and that he had access to them.

• Make sure to get unfiltered information. Top managers need all sorts of information, good and bad … especially bad. This is why it is crucial to have a mechanism in place that ensures a steady stream of information from all quarters.

• Hire people smarter than you are. Bush was not afraid to hire leaders and cabinet members that people perceived were smarter than he was. The first MBA president knew that the key to success had to do with his team and his ability to exact the best performance from each of them.

• Master the four keys of Team Bush. Team Bush has a four-prong approach, one that takes into account a finely etched strategy, a clearly defined message, discipline in execution, and an apparatus to leverage the assets at hand.