While his supporters and opponents clearly have an opinion on President Donald J. Trump, there are some key principles he operates by, which have proven effective for him both as an executive and today as a world leader, noted Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, in a lecture offered Tuesday inside the University of Miami Donna E. Shalala Student Center.
Organized by the Department of Political Science at the College of Arts and Sciences and made possible by Genesis 10 founder Harley Lippman, the 90-minute presentation allowed Sonnenfeld to explain the highlights of his latest book “Trump’s Ten Commandments,” which explores the president’s unique leadership style.
Sonnenfeld is the Lester Crown Professor in the practice of management at the Yale School of Management, as well as its senior associate dean for leadership studies, and is considered an expert on executive leadership, often contributing to media outlets like The New York Times, Forbes, CNBC, Fox News, and The Wall Street Journal.
Sonnenfeld got to know Trump in the early 1990s, but a few years later, his television show “The Apprentice,” provided fodder for Sonnenfeld’s management column in The Wall Street Journal. After a critical piece, the real estate executive called Sonnenfeld to voice his displeasure and demanded a public apology, but after a long conversation, Trump decided to take a different approach and shocked Sonnenfeld by offering him a job. While he did not take the job, Sonnenfeld was intrigued by the mogul’s quick-thinking negotiation skills then.
“His fluidity with friends and foes—it's pretty remarkable. He'll make friends with people if he thinks it has value,” Sonnenfeld said. “He is much more of a pragmatist than an ideologue. He realized that I don't have a lot of wealth to be of value to him, but he was much more interested in my influence.”
Later on, Sonnenfeld and his wife agreed to play golf with Trump, and he even changed his wife’s negative opinion of him, Sonnenfeld said. Trump and Sonnenfeld then agreed to bury the hatchet and became friends. For the past 25 years, Sonnenfeld has been able to watch how Trump leads, and summarized his observations in the book.
“I’ve known him longer than many of the people in his administration and given that, there are certain things that I've seen him do repeatedly, sometimes as a victim of it, sometimes as an observer,” he said, adding: “Trump may not be the most spiritual person, but these are the rules that he does worship.”
These include:
- Leading with himself at the center, so decisions are made in a centralized way.
- Starting negotiations with a punch in the face, rather than building trust.
- Being a good listener, particularly when others are in front of him.
- The wall of sound – a perpetual noise machine of constant overwhelming distractions. Trump has the uncanny ability to change the subject no matter the circumstance.
- Rewriting history through the sleeper effect. This is the idea that if something is repeated enough people will start to believe it, Sonnenfeld said.
Overall, Sonnenfeld said that his experiences with the current president taught him some valuable skills for how to approach Trump that others may find useful. Yet, he cautioned that these strategies are not for everyone.
“People who have done well have forged alliances, (but) are also true to their virtues,” Sonnenfeld said. “The things that he will do are not things the rest of us should.”
Regardless of their political leanings, faculty members, students, and University supporters at the event found Sonnenfeld’s talk enlightening.
Political science professor Constantino Pischedda said he was thrilled that Sonnenfeld stopped at the University as he promotes his new book.
“He is one of the most prominent and articulate Trump observers and is a balanced critic since he acknowledges the good aspects of our president, but at the same time does not refrain from openly counting his failures in the business realm, in national politics, or foreign affairs,” Pischedda said. “And unlike others he has firsthand experience.”
Sophomore Michelle Mendez said she was glued to the lecture.
“It’s so good to have people like Sonnenfeld on campus because the headlines aren’t giving us enough information and it’s fascinating to have this different perspective,” said Mendez, who is studying political science.
First-year student Jasmine Morera agreed.
“When you compare some of the issues in the world there is a lot of stress out there right now, so I wanted to be educated about the political status that the U.S holds in terms of other countries and I am grateful to hear more about our president,” said Morera, who is studying political science and business law.
