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.
Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was – by a taxpayer.
Let your family, staff, and friends know that you’re still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.
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.
Presidential leadership needn’t always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
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.
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.
Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.
It isn’t making mistakes that’s critical; it’s correcting them and getting on with the principal task.
Don’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.
Remember where you came from.
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers – they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
Make decisions about the President’s personal security. He can overrule you, but don’t ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
Politics is human beings; it’s addition rather than subtraction.
Don’t automatically obey Presidential directives if you disagree or if you suspect he hasn’t considered key aspects of the issue.
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.
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.
Don’t think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.
Don’t do or say things you would not like to see on the front page of The Washington Post.
The way to do well is to do well.
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