#37 - The Tuesday Lunch Club
Advice good enough for the President...
Being the President of the United States is not an easy job.
Every individual who has taken on the responsibility has faced unique challenges.
Some navigated them more effectively than others, depending on who you ask. But no matter your perspective, one thing is easy to agree on: being president is, for most of us, an unimaginably demanding position.
Every president is different, but they have a few things in common. We’re exploring one of those commonalities today.
Lyndon Johnson was thrust into the presidency in 1963 after the assignation of sitting president John F Kennedy.
Johnson did what other "accidental" presidents had done under similar circumstances: promising to continue unchanged the policies of his predecessor. Johnson also retained the Kennedy staff and, in general, the system.
The 1960’s were a tumultuous period in American foreign affairs. The Cold War threatened to bubble over, and Johnson became totally absorbed in a foreign war after the decision to send American troops to Vietnam in 1965.
As the Vietnam conflict escalated, Johnson's personal burden grew. His circle of advisers shrank as he immersed himself into the details of the war. He became less tolerant of dissent. Despite this, he continued to seek counsel from a small group of trusted friends, often engaging in lengthy off-the-record conversations with them.
Early in 1965, Johnson instituted a "Tuesday lunch," which for the next four years represented the focal point of foreign policymaking. The initial grouping of Dean Rusk, Robert McNamara, and McGeorge Bundy gradually expanded to include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Earle Wheeler, CIA Director Richard Helms, and Johnson's press secretary, first Bill Moyers, later George Christian. Johnson kept the proceedings informal to encourage give-and-take, but eventually Deputy Press Secretary Tom Johnson was added to keep a record of major points. 1
The Tuesday lunch, a key element in Johnson's decision-making process, provided the president with a spectrum of views on significant policy issues. While it was not designed to be a decision-making body, Johnson used it as a platform for gathering information and opinions. He would sometimes announce decisions at the Tuesday lunch, but more often, he would take the information and opinions back to his private quarters, where he would compare them with intelligence obtained from his readings.
The lunches helped Johnson cut through bureaucracy with frank, off-the-record conversations.
JFK himself leant on a similar arrangement. The Irish Mafia was a close-knit group of friends and allies who advised the president. The group included his brother Robert F. Kennedy, Dave Powers and Kenny O’Donnell, who were informal but powerful figures in his administration.
During his presidency, Kennedy dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis and delicate moments during the Civil Rights movement. He oversaw the effort to put a man on the moon. These informal advisors were instrumental in navigating these crucial moments for America at home and abroad.
Andrew Jackson was president from 1829 to 1837. His “Kitchen Cabinet” was an informal group of influential advisors during his time in office. The Kitchen Cabinet consisted of close friends, journalists and allies, rather than official members of his official government.
Harry Truman had the Missouri Gang, Woodrow Wilson had the Inquiry, Franklin Roosevelt the Brain Trust.
Name a president, they had an informal group of advisors they relied on.
You should have the same.
Find and maintain a personal board of directors
If it’s a good enough practice for sitting presidents, it’s good enough for you.
You can’t read the label from the inside of the bottle.
That’s why creating a personal board of directors can be a game-changer for personal and professional growth.
Just like a board helps steer a company, advising the executive leadership team, a personal board of directors consisting of friends and colleagues can help you make decisions, give you feedback and offer alternative perspectives.
A reliable board of personal directors can be invaluable for support and guidance when making big decisions such as career changes or facing difficult options in tricky situations. They're not there to agree with you, rather to challenge your thinking and help you see your blind spots. Mine has been massively important to me in the past few years.
These could be successful friends, teachers, mentors, ex-managers, or colleagues. They should, however (as most of the examples above were) be independent. That means your current manager or spouse might not be the best option for these particular roles, no matter how much you value their opinions.
I have a personal board of directors of five or six people. The best thing is that not one of them knows that they're on it. These are just people whose opinions I value and who I think of or call when I need advice.
It might be relationships, money, my family, or my career. I'm crafting my board of advisors so that whatever I might need, I've got someone to call… or imagine calling.
Now I think about it, some of them don't even know I exist.
Yep, a couple of members of my personal board of directors don't even know I exist.
Scott Galloway wouldn't know who I was if I walked up to him in the street, but through his podcasts and his writing, he's become someone who influences me and how I approach junctures.
Your personal board of directors is precisely that. It's yours, and it's personal. It doesn't matter who's on it. What matters is that you have one, and the people on it are people you trust to give you good advice. But that's all that it is, just advice.
Just like a board can advise a company and the Tuesday lunch advised Lyndon Johnson of their perspectives, a personal board of directors can provide that sounding board and offer different takes.
Start assembling yours today. Think about your gaps and who you want to help fill them. Then, lean on them—literally or metaphorically.
What I watched this week
No video today, because the best thing I saw this week was a live audience with author Oliver Burkeman, at the launch of his new book ‘Meditation for Mortals’.
At some points, it felt like he was speaking directly to me. He said two specific things about his writing that I’m stealing and aiming to apply to my own going forward.
Oliver spoke about how many writers hated the word ‘actually’, but it being key in his work. He is not interested in simply giving advice, rather, getting people to ‘actually’ act on it. He also described how he endeavours to keep his writing fun. Not always easy when talking about time management, or meditations, but an important reminder for us all, no matter what we’re doing.
What I read this week
This breakdown of the economics of OnlyFans’ by Matthew Ball is wild.
Some of the craziest stats:
In 2024, OnlyFans’ generated $6.3bn in revenue, up from $300m 5-years ago
Over the past 5-years, OnlyFans' creators have collected over $15bn, with $5.3bn in 2023. As a comparison, total Premier League payroll was just under $5.3bn and total NBA salaries were $4.9bn in 2023.
OnlyFans has paid its two owners $1.1bn in dividends since 2019!
The UK government has received more in taxes from OnlyFans this year that it has from proceeds from North Sea oil
This is the future of our economy.
Thanks for reading Tuesdays Rule, see you next week! ✌🏻❤️
https://www.americanforeignrelations.com/O-W/Presidential-Advisers-Johnson-and-the-tuesday-lunch.html