- Intelligence
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- Nov 07, 2020
Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
Most Famous Donald Rumsfeld Quotes of All Time!
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- Last Updated on May 30, 2021
- Mistakes
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Decisions
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- Nov 07, 2020
In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.
- Mistakes
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- Nov 07, 2020
If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.
- May
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- Nov 07, 2020
Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
- Get
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- Nov 07, 2020
It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.
- Facts
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Flak
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- House
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want.
- Family
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Personal
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- Nov 07, 2020
Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
- Shoes
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
- Boss
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
- Life
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- Nov 07, 2020
Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.
- Men
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.
- Know
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- Nov 07, 2020
Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.
- Others
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- Nov 07, 2020
When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views.
- Be Yourself
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- Nov 07, 2020
Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to 'carry it off.'
- Criticism
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- Nov 07, 2020
Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.
- Doing
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- Nov 07, 2020
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
- Performance
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- Nov 07, 2020
Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
- Country
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Path
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Decision
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Information
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Matter
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Nov 07, 2020
If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
- Ideas
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- Nov 07, 2020
Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented.
- Enough
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Government
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Look
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- House
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- Nov 07, 2020
Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
- Like
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
- Effort
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Government
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Doubt
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- Nov 07, 2020
If in doubt, don't. If still in doubt, do what's right.
- Politics
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Every Day
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- Nov 07, 2020
In politics, every day is filled with numerous opportunities for serious error. Enjoy it.
- Leadership
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
- Nov 07, 2020
Remember where you came from.
- People
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Press
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- Nov 07, 2020
With the press there is no 'off the record.'
- Country
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Control
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- Nov 07, 2020
When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
- Management
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- Nov 07, 2020
Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
- Lawyers
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- Nov 07, 2020
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
- Way
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- Nov 07, 2020
The way to do well is to do well.
- Never
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- Nov 07, 2020
If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
- Tell
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- People
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Innocent
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Nov 07, 2020
I don't do quagmires.
- Learning
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- Nov 07, 2020
Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning.
- Getting
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- Nov 07, 2020
It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
- Leadership
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- Nov 07, 2020
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.
- Key
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- Nov 07, 2020
Don't automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn't considered key aspects of the issue.
- Doubt
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- Nov 07, 2020
If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.
- Leadership
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- Nov 07, 2020