Quote

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.

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
Matter
Structure
Bottlenecks
Pressure
Delegation
Decision
Delegate
Responsibility
Delegates
Force
Resist
President
Reverse
Problem
Add
Find
Areas
Bottleneck

More quotes by Donald Rumsfeld

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There are a lot of things that are said by people in the military, or civilian life, or in the Congress, or in the Executive Branch, that are their views. And that's the way we live. We're a free people. And that's the wonderful thing about our country.
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It is easier to get into something than to get out of it.
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It is unknowable how long that conflict [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.
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Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.
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When business accepts help from the government, it can be like going to bed with a hippopotamus. It's nice and warm for the moment, but then your bedmate rolls over and crushes you.
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If a person is determined to fight to the death, then they may very well have that opportunity.
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There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact.
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If you can't solve a problem, make it bigger.
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There are things that we know, and there are things that we don't know. Then there are the things that we don't even know that we don't know. Those are the things that are the hardest.
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One of your tasks is to separate the 'personal' from the 'substantive.' The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
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No. That's someone else's business. Quagmire is - I don't do quagmires.
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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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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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In unanimity there may well be either cowardice or uncritical thinking.
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Don't 'over-control' like a novice pilot. Stay loose enough from the flow that you can observe it, modify, and improve it.
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Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
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Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.
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Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
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If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't I'll just respond cleverly.
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Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.
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