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" Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men. "
Donald Rumsfeld
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" If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random. "
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" In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone. "
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" Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive. "
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" Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up. "
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" Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well. "
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" If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes. "
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" Remember where you came from. "
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" Preserve the President's options. He may need them. "
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" Leave the President's family business to him. You will have plenty to do without trying to manage the First Family. They are likely to do fine without your help. "
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" The way to do well is to do well. "
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" Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs. "
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" Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue. "
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" Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance. "
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" The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country. "
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" Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.' "
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" Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position. "
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" When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views. "
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" There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact. "
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" Don't be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it. "
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" Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary. "
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" Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up. "
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" In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership. "
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" If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it. "
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" Don't divide the world into 'them' and 'us.' Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours. "
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" Our task, your task... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction. "
Donald Rumsfeld
" There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know. "
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" It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task. "
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" Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there. "
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" First rule of politics: you can't win unless you're on the ballot. Second rule: If you run, you may lose. And, if you tie, you do not win. "
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" Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented. "
Donald Rumsfeld