Romney vows to be hands-on president

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A 100-day scorecard, corporate discipline and a hands-on management style are three things Mitt Romney promised to institute if he's elected U.S. president.

Romney, who will be formally nominated as the GOP presidential candidate this week during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., also said he would treat his Cabinet as a board of directors and it would be dominated by people from the private sector, Politico reported.

What people see is what people will get, Romney told Politico during a 30-minute interview.

He vowed to keep his focus on a relentlessly goal-driven, business-oriented approach to national government that helped mold his life.

"I know there are some people who do a very good job acting and pretending they're something they're not," Romney said. "You get what you see. I am who I am."

Saying he doesn't think "everybody likes me," Romney said he does believe "people of this country are looking for someone who can get the country growing again with more jobs and more take-home pay, and I think they realize this president had four years to do that. ... He got every piece of legislation he wanted passed, and it didn't work. I think they want someone who has a different record, and I do."

Romney also indicated he was tiring of the criticism that he is wooden or wasn't connecting with voters, Politico said. He said he was able to unite people of divergent views to rescue the Olympics, initiate profit-making ideas at Bain Capital and lead Massachusetts, a Democratic state.

While acknowledging opposition ads have had some impact, Romney said people would have a chance to get to know him better during the the ensuing weeks and debates "when people are actually paying a lot of attention to the candidates."

Romney said he would take a hands-on approach and consider varying viewpoints on an issue before reaching a decision, Politico said.

But Romney said his one bugaboo is organization.

"I think one of the things I don't do terribly well is to be highly organized and follow a calendar precisely," he said.

Even though he would take the hands-on approach, Romney said he would delegate responsibilities.

"Having people who have actually run things in the private sector or who have been actively involved in the private sector will be of real interest to me," he said.