It isn’t making mistakes that’s critical; it’s correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
With the press there is no ‘off the record’.
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.
Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was – by a taxpayer.
Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
If in doubt, don’t. If still in doubt, do what’s right.
Prune – prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
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.
There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that’s just a fact.
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.
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.
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers – they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
If you try to please everybody, somebody’s not going to like it.
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.
Preserve the President’s options. He may need them.
Remember where you came from.
If the staff lacks policy guidance against which to test decisions, their decisions will be random.
Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
Make decisions about the President’s personal security. He can overrule you, but don’t ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
Don’t say “the White House wants.” Buildings can’t want.
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.
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