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Advice to a new Administrator
Q: What advice would you give a new administrator, preparing to come into the Agency?
MR. COSTLE: I'd recommend that he or she immediately set some clear goals, perhaps five things to accomplish during the first year. Then define, over four years, where you want to be in that time, what you'd want to be remembered for. Force yourself to decide what the important things are. That first year, much of this is determined for you by the transition, in choosing your team, in getting on top of the flow of business within the Agency, the administration, and the Congress. But it is critical to look periodically at your priorities, because it's amazing how fast those four years will go by.
You can modify your goals as you go along. The pressure of events will in fact force some alterations. But setting an agenda focuses you and helps you convey to the Agency a sense that you know where you want to go. The staff wants to see a sense of leadership and direction. The career professionals are more than happy to wheel their resources behind you, unless they perceive that you are undercutting the Agency wholesale.
I was fortunate that my relationship with the President and the White House staff was excellent. In that respect I probably had an easier, better time -- even when we disagreed -- than any of my predecessors or successors. That was a real asset, worth cultivating. But you can't always look for direction from the White House on every decision. Take the initiative. If you think you know what to do, and you're convinced it's right, just go do it.