Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
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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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If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
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Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
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What we are seeing is not the war in Iraq. What we're seeing is slices of the war in Iraq.111213
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Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
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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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Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people.
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We do have a saying in America: if you're in a hole, stop digging ..... erm, I'm not sure I should have said that.8910
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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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It recalls to mind the statement by Winston Churchill, something to the effect that: I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof. 15
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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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Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
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Stuff happens.
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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
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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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Look at me! I'm sweet and lovable!
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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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I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours?
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Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.
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I'm not into this detail stuff. I'm more concepty.
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After he saw what happened to Saddam Hussein, he (Gaddafi) did not want to be Saddam Hussein. He gave up his nuclear program.
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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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If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.