Jim VanderHei of Axios writes about former Wall Street Journal reporter David Rogers.
VanderHei writes, “David redefined for me what it takes to be truly great:
- Uncommon work ethic. Every great athlete, writer, teacher or leader works harder than others. There are no shortcuts or part-time paths to extreme betterment. David was notorious for being the person to open the reporters’ gallery in the Capitol early each morning — and last to leave. I made it my mission to be waiting there when he arrived, and leave after he left. He eventually wore me down. Work ethic is a powerful weapon.
- Diligence. David’s special gift is understanding the arcane congressional budgeting and appropriations process better than lawmakers and many staff. Top leaders would routinely call him when arcane rules or historical precedent popped up. He spent decades reading, studying, asking questions. Digging deeply is a powerful weapon.
- Domain expertise. Most lawmakers feared David and ducked his questions because they knew he could run circles around them. He wasn’t cocky about it — just calm and certain that he saw and knew with total precision the full field. Domain expertise is a powerful weapon.”
Read more here. Rogers left The Journal in late 2007 and went to work for Politico.
