Peter Donolo is vice-chairman of Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada. He served as director of communications to prime minister Jean Chrétien.
The coda to last week's epic-scale White House dysfunction was the appointment of a battle-tested former U.S. marine general to clean up the mess, and imbue the Trump administration with the kind of order and discipline that has been absent since the moment it took office.
The question on everyone's mind: Will it work?
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From 1993 to 1999, I was director of communications in Jean Chrétien's PMO. Among other things, my experience was a postgraduate course in how to run an effective office for the leader of a G7 nation. Canada is not the U.S. And our systems of government are very different. But the principles of executive leadership – whether in the PMO or the West Wing – are consistent:
1. Hierarchy matters: The chief of staff in our PMO was the incomparable Jean Pelletier. He was an experienced, sophisticated political veteran (the longest-serving mayor of Quebec City). Importantly, he was – age-wise – a peer of the Prime Minister. And he was the gatekeeper. Every morning, after our senior staff meeting, it was Jean – not a gaggle of aides – who (along with the Clerk of the Privy Council) briefed the PM.
He had a strictly ordered org chart. Within your responsibilities, you had tremendous scope. I certainly had that in communications. And access to the Prime Minister. That's how he could attract and retain some of the wisest most experienced advisers in Canadian public policy – such as Eddie Goldenberg and Chaviva Hosek. But he was firm about one cook not stirring another's pot.
2. No in-fighting allowed: There is conflict in any organization. Agendas and egos clash. In our government, there were sometimes contentious relationships between ministers (including, at times, between the PM and his own finance minister). But it was taboo for anyone in our office to badmouth a colleague, a minister or an MP. And to weaponize it through a media leak would have meant instant dismissal.
We may not have all gotten along all the time. But we were there to do a job – together.
3. Trust the public service, and respect the institutions: That was a message from day one. Many new administrations assume a hostile position toward the public service from the outset. The problem is that no executive office has the bandwidth to run a whole government. It would be like asking a corporate C-suite to operate the production line. You need the knowledge and experience of the men and women who work in the bureaucracy.
I had the privilege of working with hundreds of dedicated public servants. I never knew – or cared – how they voted. I just knew they wanted to do their best for their country.
Similarly, we were expected to respect the institutions of government – departments, agencies, Parliament. They weren't there for us to push around, but to heed, and yes, safeguard.
4. It's not about you: Shows like The West Wing, The Good Wife and even House of Cards are part of the problem. They promote the notion of glamour and drama in these high offices. In reality, these aren't places for divas, but for doers. The rewards are the privilege of being part of history, seeing through something that's important to you, working with incredibly talented people. In my case, I was also fortunate to hone skills that have served me well in my later career. Enjoy the ride. Do your best. But at the end of the day, it's not about you.
It's evident that the Trump White House has broken each one of these rules – over and over.
So will the new chief make a difference? Not unless he can change the behaviour of Donald Trump himself, whose style sets the tone for the whole administration – he personally breaks these same rules every day.
We were lucky to work for a PM who understood and believed in government. That's why he was able to resolve the existential unity and fiscal crises his government inherited.
Donald Trump's goals are – to me at least – much darker. That's why part of me does not wish General Kelly too much success in his new mission.