See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented.

Be able to resign. It will improve your value to the President and do wonders for your performance.

When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views.

Don't think of yourself as indispensable or infallible. As Charles De Gaulle said, the cemeteries of the world are full of indispensable men.

The price of being close to the President is delivering bad news. You fail him if you don't tell him the truth. Others won't do it.

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.

Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want.

Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.

It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.

There are a lot of people who lie and get away with it, and that's just a fact.

If a prospective Presidential approach can't be explained clearly enough to be understood well, it probably hasn't been thought through well enough. If not well understood by the American people, it probably won't 'sail' anyway. Send it back for further thought.

Let your family, staff, and friends know that you're still the same person, despite all the publicity and notoriety that accompanies your position.

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.

Learn to say 'I don't know.' If used when appropriate, it will be often.

Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there.

Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs.

If you develop rules, never have more than ten.

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.

Imagine, a September 11 with weapons of mass destruction. It's not 3,000. It's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children.

Preserve the President's options. He may need them.

The way to do well is to do well.

Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.

Public servants are paid to serve the American people. Do it well.

With the press there is no 'off the record.'