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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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" Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.' "

" Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal. "

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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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" 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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" Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often. "

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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. "

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" Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life. "

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" One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong. "

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" Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually. "

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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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" 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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" The Federal Government should be the last resort, not the first. Ask if a potential program is truly a federal responsibility or whether it can better be handled privately, by voluntary organizations, or by local or state governments. "

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" I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that. "

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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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" Your performance depends on your people. Select the best, train them and back them. When errors occur, give sharper guidance. If errors persist or if the fit feels wrong, help them move on. The country cannot afford amateur hour in the White House. "

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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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" Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the goals set. Put your head down, do the best job possible, let the flak pass, and work towards those goals. "

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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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" When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later. "

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" Preserve the President's options. He may need them. "

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" When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control. "

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" The way to do well is to do well. "

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" If you develop rules, never have more than ten. "

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" Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes. "

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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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" 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 the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random. "

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" Remember where you came from. "

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" Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive. "

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" You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck. "

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