The president of the United States has dozens of critical staff members who help carry out his administration’s agenda. One of the president’s most important employees is the White House chief of staff, who serves as an adviser and helps manage daily operations. The chief of staff oversees White House employees, controls access to the president, manages the president’s schedule, and helps resolve disputes.
The White House press secretary also plays an important role in a president’s administration, serving as the executive’s primary spokesperson to the media and the public. The White House press secretary regularly briefs reporters about the president’s schedule, plans, and events. The press secretary also answers questions from the media and helps manage when certain information is released.
The president’s Cabinet is made up of the vice president, the leaders of the 15 executive departments, and other high-level officials. The department heads and most other Cabinet-rank officials are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate; the vice president is elected, and the White House chief of staff is appointed without Senate confirmation. Most Cabinet members are called secretaries, like the Secretary of Health and Human Services or the Secretary of Homeland Security - except the head of the Justice Department, who is the attorney general.
It is critical that the president surrounds himself with capable staffers, but perhaps even more importantly, he must know how to lead them effectively. The 40th president, Ronald Reagan, said, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
The president is the head of the executive branch, which employs millions of people, including members of the United States military, but most of those workers technically work for the federal government and serve the American people, not the president.
