You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck.
You're thinking of Eurpoe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe.
Don't blame the boss. He has enough problems.
Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.
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.
Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people.
Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost.
One of your tasks is to separate the "personal" from the "substantive." The two can become confused, especially if someone rubs the President wrong.
Our task, your task... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction.
Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.
Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction.
Preserve the President's options. He may need them.
Many people around the President have sizeable egos before entering government, some with good reason. Their new positions will do little to moderate their egos.
Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.
Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.