What We've Learned From Robert Gates

With Robert Gates, who has served eight presidents over four decades, about to retire, the Washington Post looks back at how Gates operated in the Pentagon. He’s been “careful, conservative, and consensus-oriented,” writes Greg Jaffe, and he’s “earned a reputation as the most ruthlessly efficient defense secretary in decades.” So what can we learn from his tenure?

• Buy time. Defense Department reviews following troop surges in Iraq and Afghanistan gave Presidents Bush and Obama a sense of the military’s trajectory—and they bought time against critics calling for quick drawdowns.

• It's OK to cry. Gates was tough—but he knew when to show emotion. Many speeches found him choked up; such feeling “captured the hearts of a lot of mid-grade officers,” said an official.
• Keep it to yourself. Hillary Clinton pointed out that Gates “listens more than he talks,” because “he knows his words carry a lot of weight.”
• Understand your limits. “My experience has been over the years that if you try to impose change on an organization” like the US Army, “you will fail,” Gates said.

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