If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
DONALD RUMSFELDWith the press there is no ‘off the record.’
More Donald Rumsfeld Quotes
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Let your family, staff, and friends know that you’re still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.
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Prune – prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.
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Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn’t exist.
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Agreement can always be reached by increasing the generality of the conclusion; when this is done, the form is generally preserved but only the illusion of policy is created.
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If in doubt, move decisions up to the President.
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Don’t necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.
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Reduce the number of lawyers. They are like beavers – they get in the middle of the stream and dam it up.
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Don’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.
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If it were a fact, it wouldn’t be called intelligence.
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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.
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Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.
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The way to do well is to do well.
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Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.
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It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.
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Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often.
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Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.
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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.
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There are no “knowns.” There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don’t know.
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What you measure improves.” A corollary rule in the military is that “You get what you inspect, not what you expect.
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Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.
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Remember where you came from.
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Don’t speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn’t walk in their shoes.
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Whatever your position, reach out to those who know more than you do, and have been around longer than you have. Find those people. Listen carefully. And learn.
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If in doubt, don’t. If still in doubt, do what’s right.
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Those who made the decisions with imperfect knowledge will be judged in hindsight by those with considerably more information at their disposal and time for reflection.
DONALD RUMSFELD