The Office Of the President
Table of Contents
Chief Of Staff
This is an Assistant to the President. He or she is the most critical to implementation of the President’s vision for the country.
The chief also has a dual role as manager of the staffs of the Office of the President.5
The Chief of Staff’s first managerial task is to establish an organizational chart.
It should be simple and contain clear lines of authority and responsibility to avoid conflicts.
It should also identify specific points of contact for each element of the government outside of the White House. These contacts should include the Liaisons who are selected by the Office of Presidential Personnel.
The chief implements the President’s agenda by setting priorities for the officce.
This process begins by:
- taking stock of the President’s campaign promises
- identifying current and prospective opportunities
- delegating policy priorities among the departments and agencies of the Cabinet
The chief directs the briefing on all of his policy priorities by his Cabinet and senior staff.
The chief maps out the issues and themes that will be covered daily and weekly.
The chief then works with the policy councils, the Cabinet, and the Office of Communications and Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) to sequence and execute the rollout of policies and announcements.
White House Counsel and senior advisers and senior counselors are also intimately involved.
All senior staff report to the Chief of Staff, either directly or through his two or three deputies, unless the President determines that a particular Assistant to the President reports directly to him.
Most chiefs have interacted directly with Cabinet officers and a select number of direct reports.
In most cases, the direct reports to the chief are his two or three deputies, the Communications Director, PPO Director, White House Counsel, and senior advisers. Occasionally, the Office of Public Liaison (OPL), the Cabinet Secretary, and Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) also report directly to the chief. Usually, however, they report instead to a Deputy Chief of Staff.
The Chief of Staff’s main challenge is time management.
His use of his deputies, meetings with senior staff, and direction provided to the WHO must all balance with the daily needs of the President.
A successful chief steers the West Wing using his management of and influence with the various individuals and entities around him. It goes without saying that selecting the right person to be chief is vital.