Trust among team members is good—usually. However, with some teams, too much trust can depress performance, Claus Langford, a professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis, states. Bob Whipple, MBA, CPLP, coined the phrase " Trust but verified," which was made famous by Ronald Reagon in December 1987. The word's true origin is actually from a Russian proverb, "doveryai no proveryai" (Trust but verify).
When we study the concept behind "Trust but verify," it is an oxymoron that makes sense when we examine the word "but," which is often an eraser word. When we study the conjunction "but," we find that it renders what came before it moot. For example, if I tell you I like your T-shirt, but the words are vulgar. Did I like your T-shirt? The literal meaning you will typically take away is that I wouldn't say I liked it. The need to verify implies complete trust is lacking. We live in a low-trust world, and we constantly have to filter through everything to determine what information we can ultimately trust. Have you ever blindly trusted an individual and later wished you verified because something important didn't get done? Many leaders recognize the cost of relying too much on others; however not nearly as much at identifying the cost of not trusting enough. When we extend trust to others, we usually receive more trust. When leaders give orders, they need to verify or confirm that those orders were carried out in the most efficient manner possible. We must trust and ensure holding others accountable for their actions. We must confirm because, while we want to trust that the other individual is trustworthy, there may be a chance that the other individual did not understand our orders or could not follow through as intended. To reduce the chances of disappointing results, leaders must confirm that their expectations have been met.
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