American - Politician | July 9, 1932 -
It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
Donald Rumsfeld
MistakesMaking MistakesPrincipal
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.
DecisionsInformationFlowPoorSee
Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often.
LearnKnowSayWillUsedOften
Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.
ShoesWalkSpeakYouYourIll
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.
BestPeoplePerformanceHelpHouse
Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
IntegrityYouUpConvenienceTrip
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.
ControlExerciseCountryOverTask
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.
WomenChildrenMenInnocentImagine
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
LawyersStreamUpGetMiddleLike
Test ideas in the marketplace. You learn from hearing a range of perspectives. Consultation helps engender the support decisions need to be successfully implemented.
SupportIdeasDecisionsLearnYou
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.
MistakesHelpYouKnowTrySee
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.
WorkGoalsBestJobObstaclesDown
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