Quote

Reduce the layers of management. They put distance between the top of an organization and the customers.

Donald Rumsfeld

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Donald Rumsfeld
Age: 88 †
Born: 1932
Born: July 9
Died: 2021
Died: June 29
Author
Businessperson
Diplomat
Former U.S. Secretary Of Defense
Military Officer
Politician
Chicago
Illinois
Donald Henry Rumsfeld
Organization
Layers
Reduce
Managers
Customers
Management
Distance

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We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.
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If you try to please everybody, somebody's not going to like it.
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I think it's very useful for you folks (reporters) to try your damndest to be precise. And don't repeat things that are inaccurate if you can possibly avoid it. And when you see things that are inaccurate, knock them down -- because there's a bucket of it floating around.
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Remember where you came from.
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Keep your sense of humor. As General Joe Stillwell said, 'The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind'.
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Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
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If you develop rules, never have more than ten.
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A terrorist can attack any time, any place using any technique and you can't defend everywhere against every technique at every moment.
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When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.
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It is very difficult to spend federal (the taxpayers') dollars so that the intended result is achieved.
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When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
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In our system leadership is by consent, not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.
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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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Pieces of intelligence, scraps of intelligence...you run down leads and you run down leads, and you hope that sometimes it works.
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Is it likely that an aircraft carrier or a cruise missile is going to find a person?
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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.
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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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[on Osama bin Laden] He is either alive and well or alive and not too well or not alive.
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Control your time. If you're working off your in-box, you're working off the priorities of others. Be sure the staff is working on what you move to them from the President, or the President will be reacting, not leading.
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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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