“As a leader, your instincts matter a lot. But if the goal is to have people around to make you look good, you will fail. If your goal is to have experts there to lend their knowledge, then you’ll make good choices.” -President George W. Bush
This month, President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush welcomed the 2018 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars to the Bush Center in Dallas, Texas.
Scholars learned about the leadership style and strengths of President Bush, and how to apply the decision-making processes he used in his administration to their own lives.
In addition to President and Mrs. Bush, Scholars heard from:
- Sonya Medina Williams, board of director for Papa John’s International, and former deputy assistant to President Bush and director of projects to Mrs. Laura Bush;
- Holly Kuzmich, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute and senior vice president of the George W. Bush Center;
- Keith Hennessey, lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, former director of the National Economic Council, and former assistant to President Bush for economic policy;
- Tony Fratto, managing partner at Hamilton Place Strategies and former White House deputy press secretary;
- Meghan O’Sullivan, Jean Kirkpatrick Profession of the Practice of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and former deputy national security advisor to President Bush;
- Freddy Ford, chief of staff in the office of George W. Bush;
- Karl Rove, political strategist and former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to President Bush; and more.
Here’s what people are saying about Session 4:
Thank you @PLSprogram for hosting us @TheBushCenter – it was unforgettable lessons.#PLScholars pic.twitter.com/zlcLOwCELj
— Tara Henderson (@doctortara) May 12, 2018
Great meeting and insights from First Lady @laurawbush as part of the @PLSprogram at @TheBushCenter today. #PLScholars https://t.co/xYsy55gs2L
— Steven Llanes (@llanes_steven) May 11, 2018
Had the best time getting to meet with President Bush last week during @PLSprogram https://t.co/gHfSjMQlc6
— Brian Wolff (@TheBrianWolff) May 15, 2018
Fantastic to spend time with this amazing class of #PLScholars! So impressed by every scholar I met. And so great to share the stage with Freddy Ford, @KeithHennessey, @OSullivanMeghan! https://t.co/SxtUTDadvO
— Tony Fratto (@TonyFratto) May 12, 2018
The 2018 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars will continue their visits to each of the four partnering presidential centers to engage with former presidents, officials from their administrations, and the unique resources of the libraries to enhance their own leadership abilities in order to make a positive difference in the world. Look out for our next update from the LBJ Foundation in Austin, TX!
To learn more about the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, visit www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org. For updates about the Presidential Leadership Scholars, use #PLScholars or follow @PLSprogram on Twitter and Flickr.