White House chief of staff Jeff Zients has an alarm set for 4:20 a.m. But he rarely needs it — he usually beats the buzzer by 10-15 minutes.
His first two tasks of the day:
- 20 minutes of transcendental meditation
- Four shots of espresso
He does an hour of work, then a workout, and is in the office by 7:30 a.m.
Zients, 58, had a lucrative run as a CEO and chairman, and even co-founded Call Your Mother, a D.C.-area bagel chain. He has stayed upbeat despite running a White House that is in the dumps and ending on a very downbeat note.
President Obama brought Zients into government as deputy budget director and the nation's first chief performance officer. Under President Biden, he had the high-stakes role of COVID response coordinator before becoming Biden's second chief of staff.
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Discuss: Avoid tackling tough topics over text or email. Prefer face-to-face conversations.
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Efficient Meetings: Keep meetings short and direct, often 15-30 minutes. Precede meetings with concise three-page memos.
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Don't "admire the problem": Focus on solving issues rather than just analyzing them.
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Dive into challenges: When a difficult issue arises, face it directly instead of avoiding it.
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Execute: Emphasize the importance of getting things done, particularly in government.
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Build the team: Invest in recruiting, coaching, and supporting a diverse, low-ego team.
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Stay optimistic: Maintain a positive outlook coupled with a credible plan.
Zients believes his business background made him a better government leader by emphasizing team dynamics and execution.
A sunrise photo taken by Stewart Verdery from a rooftop in Northwest D.C., captured using a regular iPhone.