“Did I find it frustrating as the White House Chief of Staff? Toughest job I ever had, but…if you find it unpleasant to cope with a complex problem that is simultaneously the business of four or five Cabinet departments, several public interest groups, and the Congress, and one that the President will finally decide, then it’s frustrating. On the other hand, if you like that situation, if it’s a challenge, then it’s stimulating, particularly when you see progress made. I found it tough, challenging, exhausting, but not frustrating.” (Donald Rumsfeld, president and chief executive, G.D. Searle and Company)1
A version of this article appeared in the July 1980 issue of Harvard Business Review.