Tony Blair

And therefore, you've got to know how to manage your party.

You've got to know how you frame certain things.

You've got to know, frankly, as a CEO of a company, you're the person in charge, right?

You can more or less lay down the law, right?

Politics is more complicated than that.

So when you get highly skilled CEOs come into politics...

Oftentimes, they don't succeed, but that's not because their executive skill set is the problem.

It's because they haven't developed a political skill set.

Well, in terms of running the system, yes.

Definitely, with the benefit of experience, I would have given much clearer directions.

I would have moved people much faster.

I would have probably done...

Because in politics, again, this is where it's different from running a company.

In a company, by and large, you can put the people in the places you want them.

In exceptional circumstances, I think this is true, except in exceptional circumstances, if you're running a company...

You've got no one in the senior management who you don't want to be in the senior management.

Right.

Politics isn't like that because you've got elements, political elements, you may have to pacify.

There may be people that you don't particularly want because they're not particularly good at being ministers, but they may be very good at managing your party or your government in order to get things through.

And what I learned over time is the important thing is to put in