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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. "

Donald Rumsfeld
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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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" Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos. "
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" Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually. "
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" See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented. "
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" If you develop rules, never have more than ten. "
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" Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post. "
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" Remember where you came from. "
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" If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't 'sail' anyway. Send it back for further thought. "
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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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" 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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" If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it. "
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" Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want. "
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" When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control. "
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" Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up. "
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" Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers. "
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" Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist. "
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" Imagine, a September 11 with weapons of mass destruction. It's not 3,000. It's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children. "
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" Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution. "
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