Donald Rumsfeld’s Leadership ABCs

On Afghanistan, Benghazi And Critics: Donald Rumsfeld’s Leadership ABCs -- Washington Post

Donald Rumsfeld is a collector. His new book, “Rumsfeld’s Rules,” is a compendium of the leadership mantras he began stockpiling in a shoebox when growing up in Chicago, added to his files when serving in the Nixon administration, then printed out for Gerald Ford when acting as the president’s chief of staff. They include quotes from Carl von Clausewitz on war, from Rep. Mo Udall on meetings and from Rumsfeld himself on lessons from his own career.

He continued to add to these rules throughout his tenure, perhaps most notably and controversially as secretary of defense during the George W. Bush administration, before compiling them at age 80 into the book released Tuesday. In this interview, edited for length and clarity, Rumsfeld spoke with On Leadership editor Lillian Cunningham about managing budget cuts and bureaucracy at the Defense Department, offering lessons on Benghazi, and facing his critics.

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My Comment: Those who admire Donald Rumsfeld will enjoy reading this post. Those who do not will ignore it.