As the world — if not President Trump — comes to grips with the reality that Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be the 46th President of the United States, we are doing some soul searching to understand what the country needs to move forward.

It isn’t just the change from a Republican to a Democratic president or from a conservative agenda to a liberal agenda. The nation remains mired in a horribly divided state that won’t be fixed by just changing personalities within the government leadership. We are trying to see which leadership and team concepts have failed recently and which ones are most easily fixed.

We see two principles that we view as having been weaknesses of the White House: the absence of consistency and continuity.

Our 401(k) retirement plan had a four-year love affair with the Trump administration. The financial plan of the Trump policies was probably his strongest area and most successful. There was some consistency, which also had to do with continuity. There wasn’t a financial “adviser-of-the-month club.” There was way too much turnover of key positions in the administration, ranging from cabinet positions to public-relations jobs.

Many of the changes were directly related to the personal traits of the president and these folks served at his will. They may or may not have known what kind of “boss” they would be working for. His extremism would frequently be exhibited in his glowing introductions of new appointments, and then again when he chided them for leaving, whether it was at his request or their choosing.

President Trump was every bit the “my-way-or-the-highway” boss he played on “The Apprentice.” Some of these people who failed to last very long in these honored positions either didn’t foresee the possibility that a failure to follow his lead would be unacceptable or they thought he would be different in his dealings with them.

To be clear, if the people making the selections or at least recommendations of these posts had been clear and honest, then there should have been no surprises. What would be best for not just the Biden administration but for any organization is to have less turnover and more continuity so that policies (good or bad) have a chance to get established and be truly tested.

As long as we keep busy juggling pieces of the puzzle, it won’t be possible to see clearly what may be good for the country or not. Let’s hope that Biden chooses wisely, and the personnel he entrusts with his confidence stick around for the full term of office. It is no miracle fix to such a badly divided country, but it would help. And please wear your mask.

— RV