The 10 Laws of Trust

LAW

4

MEASURE WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

PRESIDENT HARRY TRUMAN FAMOUSLY kept a sign on his Oval Office desk that read THE BUCK STOPS HERE! What most people don’t remember is the other half of the message: The side facing the president read I’M FROM MISSOURI. A native of the Show-Me State, Truman knew that when you’ve been entrusted with power, you’re accountable for how you use it. That meant “showing” results—and never passing “the buck.” Harry Truman made accountability a political brand.

Trust grows when expectations are unambiguous. People need to know what winning looks like and where they stand on the path to victory. Trust comes with a scoreboard, with clarity around how results will be measured. Having no gauges is a setup for confusion. ...