Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeldis an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the second oldestperson to have served as Secretary of Defense. Additionally, Rumsfeld was a three-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Counsellor to the President, the United States Permanent...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth9 July 1932
CityEvanston, IL
CountryUnited States of America
Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views.
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.
Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers - they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don't tell him the truth. Others won't do it.
When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
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.
Be precise. A lack of precision is dangerous when the margin of error is small.
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.
I am going to leave the future of Europe to the Europeans.
Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.