Having a ‘boss,’ advisers makes all the difference

Almost all of us now have, have had or will have a boss. Few of us, however, have had a boss who had no boss, so we are unfamiliar with what could happen then.

Many of us have seen what can happen when a boss has no “kitchen cabinet” composed of people who are willing to speak up when they think the boss has either made a mistake or is about to, or when members are willing to say what they think — not what they know the boss wants to hear.

During Donald J. Trump’s presidency we all saw what can happen when a country has a president who had never had a boss and who honestly believed his position entitled him to do whatever he wanted.

The reasons he acted like a “want-a-be” dictator were rooted in his narcissistic personality and his previous life running a family-owned business where, other than having to adhere to most local, state and federal laws and court decisions, he did as he wished. As president, he continued to act like he was still running that family-owned business. While at times he was forced to show some appreciation for the rule of law, he never showed respect for the separation of powers, the influence of past precedents, the importance of telling the truth in developing trust, and he never realized the importance of the leadership role of the United States and its president in supporting both fledgling and established democracies.

All of us also saw what could happen when a president did not have what most CEO’s consider essential to their success — a group of close confidants who are competent, diverse thinking and who are willing to say what they think (not what they know the boss wants to hear) — what I refer to above as a kitchen cabinet.

This lack of having a kitchen cabinet was made worse by his unwillingness to ask for advice from congressional members of his own party and by the reluctance of congressional members to offer suggestions or disagree with him even when they thought his words, actions or inactions were wrong. Instead of viewing members and leaders of his party as co-equals who could provide invaluable assistance to him, he viewed them as employees who showed their loyalty by doing what they were told. If any of them disagreed with him, he attacked them personally. When the dissenters came up for reelection, he “primaried” them with Trump loyalists. House and Senate members knew that, without his endorsement, they would have no chance against a Democratic opponent.

Now we are experiencing what can happen when we have a boss who has had a boss, who has been a part of a kitchen cabinet, and who now has a fully functioning kitchen cabinet.. A difference does make a difference!

JIM HAMMONS

Fayetteville