Rumsfeld's Rules

“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.”

Effective leaders—A’s—tend to attract other A’s, smart and talented people, who in turn create a culture of excellence. By contrast, B’s hire C’s, and even some duds who could generously be termed D’s. One reason for this is that B’s are not comfortable hiring people who might outshine them.

After Nixon resigned in 1974, Gerald Ford handled his personnel problem in a different fashion. He told the Nixon Cabinet and the existing White House staff that he was going to keep everyone in their current positions. He opted for continuity over change. That was a mistake—and I told him so at the time. I believed Ford needed to establish his own team in order to make clear that this was his administration, not a continuation of Nixon’s. But he was uncomfortable having to tell people who had served loyally that they would have to leave.

Any number of corporations and organizations have selected senior executives and successors who lacked the ability to lead. Such leaders have forgotten one of the most important elements of leadership. Show me a football coach who leaves the selection of his key players to circumstance or to someone else in the athletic department and I’ll show you a team of losers.

When ending a meeting, make a practice of summarizing the salient points and takeaways, making sure that all participants know precisely what actions you intend to be taken and by whom

People are policy! Without the best people in place, the best ideas don’t matter.
—DR. ED FEULNER

those who write and speak clearly—free of jargon and cant—are most likely to be the ones who think clearly and are therefore indispensable for good decision-making and sound policy.

“If you’re five minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you have some explaining to do.”

Standing up while working tends to be an incentive for those who come in for a discussion to say what they need to say, and not linger.

You can learn something from everyone—from a five-year-old to a head of state.