Shalala said that more important than skill in formulating policy is the judgement to know what policies to pursue.
"Crunching numbers, drafting rules and selling the policy isn't enough," she said. "We also have to bequeath a better nation to our children."
Shalala urged students to build up teams of colleagues they can trust.
She said her colleagues often wondered why she allowed FDA, the CDC and other organizations under her control so much autonomy.
"I always insist that they speak for themselves. The best salespeople are not press secretaries, but the heads of credible institutions--in their white coats," she said.
Shalala, who worked closely with First Lady Hillary Clinton during Clinton's unsuccessful effort to nationalize health-care, told students they would have their successes as well as their failures and should learn how to compromise.
"Be flexible and don't expect to win all the time," she said. "Standing in principle is not the same as standing in cement."
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