It's somewhat reminiscent of Henry Ford II's famous Whiz Kids--people like Robert S. McNamara and Arjay Miller, who were brought in from the U.S. military after World War II to turn around a company then in dire shape.
Miller, the Middle East expert at the Wilson Center, cites legendary former secretaries such as Henry Kissinger, James Baker and George Schultz as diplomats who were empowered to create the policies that their presidents then implemented.