Politics is not bean bags. It's serious, tough stuff.

Actually, there is no more important task for a leader than to pick people. To make sure you have the very best people working for you.

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.

Have fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it, spend time with your families.

Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired. Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.

You have to create circumstances where your first-tier leader knows what you are trying to accomplish, because he is the one who's going to get it done.

We are not shrinking from talking to Saudis or anyone else in the region, but it is up to each nation in the region to decide on its own how it will proceed and at what pace. There are other nations in the region that had similar policies to Saudi Arabia that are starting to make changes, such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco. And so it takes time but when you see the need for such changes, then changes tend to follow.