“People leave managers not companies… in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue.” — Gallup Poll
The continuing saga about the revolving door of employees that has plagued the presidential administration of Donald Trump has prompted me to recall my first brush with working for a nasty, abrasive, aggressive boss.
In 1984, as a naive editor of the small daily newspaper in a town I believed to be dying, I took a job for higher pay as assistant editor at the Spinal Column Newsweekly, a group of seven publications in Oakland County. Part of the reason for the move was that my wife could attend Oakland University and pick up her math certification.
It wasn’t long before I was hearing the refrain of Little Anthony & the Imperials’ song “Take Me Back” in my head. I was struck very early by the toxic personality of General Manager David P. Hohendorf. He was a most unpleasant boss who would lose his temper with his underlings. And, of course, I was unable to escape his wrath.
Hohendorf was referred to often by the hired help as “The Ho” and virtually everybody tried to avoid him, but it was impossible. He had the run of the joint.
Publisher James Fancy clearly liked what the Ho was doing because it was bringing in pretty good profits with very aggressive advertising and distribution of a free weekly newspaper throughout populous west Oakland County. The Ho also started Oakland Business Monthly, which employees referred to as “Business Monster.”
The general manager’s rhinocerous tyranny was an important ingredient in the Spinal Column’s constant turnover in personnel, particularly in the news department. It was so prevalent that Editor Mike Malott and I spent far too much time interviewing prospective reporters and not enough time editing, massaging and directing the movement of news.
The Ho had a penchant for too often answering a question with a sneering “No… F___ No!” He also told me that if I wanted to go to area taverns to drink beer with reporters, he’d start treating me like a reporter.
I had signed an agreement to spend at least a year at the Spinal Tap (another nickname bandied about by staff), but by the time I was able to get out, I noticed that Malott was the only member of the news staff still left when I arrived the year before. Malott not long after was able to to take a job with the Novi News.
When I worked at the Kalamazoo Gazette years later under Regional Editor Kathy Jennings, she told me that early in her career she had a brief stint at the Spinal Column and the experience almost led her to get out of journalism. When she confronted the Ho about why he was so displeased with her work, he replied, “You’ve had your trial by fire.”
This came to mind recently when I noticed the alarming rate of personnel turnover in the Trump Administration. By paying attention and connecting the dots, I was able to determine with even greater certainty that our President is a terrible manager trying run a democratic republic like a corporate CEO. I know some, like the free market boys, would say government should be run like a business, but the experience of more than two years of the Trump Administration proves otherwise.
The following is only a partial list of those who have resigned, have been forced out, or fired in the Trump Administration in only a little more than two years:
- Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security
- James Comey, FBI Director
- Mike Flynn, National Security Advisor
- Anthony Scaramucci, Communications Director
- James Mattis, Defense Secretary
- Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State
- John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff
- Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator
- Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior
- Hope Hicks, White House Communications Director
- Jeff Sessions, Attorney General
- Reince Priebus, White House Chief of Staff
- Sean Spicer, Press Secretary
- Randolph Alles, Director of Secret Service
- Linda McMahon, Administrator, Small Business Administration
- Bill Shine, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications
- Brock Long, Director, FEMA.
- Nikki Haley, United Nations Ambassador
- Donald McGahn, White House Counsel
- Joseph Hagin, Deputy Chief of Staff
- Ricky Waddell, Deputy National Security Advisor
- David Shulkin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Thomas P. Bossert, Homeland Security Advisor
- H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor
- Andrew McCabe, FBI Deputy Director
- Rick Dearborn, White House Deputy Chief of Staff
- Gary D. Cohn, Director of White House National Economic Council
- David Sorensen, White House speechwriter
- Rob Porter, White House Staff Secretary
- Brenda Fitzgerald, Director of Centers for Disease Control
- Omarosa Newman, Director of Communications for White House Office of Public Liaison
- Dina Powell, Deputy National Security Advisor
- Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Keith Schiller, Director of Oval Office Operations
- Sebastian Gorka, Presidential Advisor
- Steve Bannon, White House Chief Strategist
- Mike Dubke, White House Communications Director
- K.T. McFarland, Deputy National Security Advisor
- Katie Walsh, White House Deputy Chief of Staff
Some insiders have told the public this administration is in crisis and chaos. I don’t doubt it for a moment. Trump isn’t very different than The Ho.
If only this list included Betsy DeVos!