Ford fostered civility and decency

I met Gerald R. Ford in July of 1974, seven months before he had been sworn in as vice president of the United States. I had recently been selected as a White House fellow and was interviewing for my job assignment. He immediately set me at ease. He was genuinely interested in education and asked how I would compare my experiences as a student at Brigham Young University, Oxford and Harvard. He listened intently and before the interview ended, offered to answer any questions.

My first question concerned his staff — what qualities did he value most and how did he organize those around him? Like most leaders he looked for intelligence, loyalty and trustworthiness. He was, after all, an Eagle Scout. But he added that he liked a staff filled with some youth and energy as well as those with experience and judgment. He wanted those with fresh eyes and new ideas to be mentored by those with greater maturity.

He viewed his staff as a team — open, focused, determined and pulling in the same direction. His approach drew from his experience as a varsity football captain at Michigan and as a football coach at Yale. He worried about "group think" and a "circle the wagons" mentality. He loved to hear vigorous debate and believed in giving everyone the opportunity to take their best shot.

I left his office encouraged, even inspired. On July 31, he offered me a position. I arrived to begin my White House service on Aug. 9, the day he was sworn in as president. At the end of the year he asked me to stay on as special assistant to the president and executive secretary of his Economic Policy Board. For 2 1/2 years I found myself in hundreds of meetings with him and watched with awe as he established a culture of trust, respect, confidence and civility in a nation wracked by Vietnam, Watergate and recession.

Scholars of management today write much about the "tone at the top." Like all presidents, Ford established a tone. He was a down to earth American to whom his fellow countrymen could relate. His decency, openness and integrity became the hallmarks of his administration. Having never run for national office nor been through the ordeal of a presidential campaign, he owed no favors. This gave him great freedom in selecting his advisers, lieutenants and Cabinet officers. He made the most of the opportunity by assembling arguably the most distinguished and capable Cabinet of any 20th century president.