Доверяй, но проверяй (see below)

"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."

Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States.

Misinformation, disinformation, or fake news in today's parlance, is not new, it's been around as long as people have.

Does it really matter? It does really matter.

Acting on, re-posting, or just claiming something to be true you are not certain is true, suggests you are lazy.

Doing any of those things knowing the basis for your claim is not true, suggests you are a liar.

As President Ronald Reagan repeatedly said, "Trust but verify"

("Trust but verify" is an English translation of the Russian proverb Доверяй, но проверяй taught to Reagan by Suzanne Massie, American author of the book Land of the Firebird: The Beauty of Old Russia, and advisor to President Reagan regarding his negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev, then President of the Soviet Union.)

TRUST BUT VERIFY, JUST NOT TOO MUCH

"A man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts."

Harold Macmillan, 20th century Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

I've never met anyone who trusted no one, but I have met those who trust too few.

You won't get very far in this world without the help of others, many of which you will simply have to trust to do what they say they will do.

YOU CAN TRUST THIS

"He who does not trust enough will not be trusted."

Lao Tzu, 5th century BC Chinese philosopher

Ignoring the irony of this being said by a Chinese some 2,500 years before the current government of China came into being . . . 

A government that does not trust the citizens it attempts to govern, or management who does not trust those they attempt to manage, will ultimately fail.

WHO YOU SHOULD (NOT) TRUST

"Do not trust your memory; it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it."

Georges Duhamel, 20th century French author

I know this is important, and, at one point, I knew why. 

Just not now.

SOME, JUST NOT TOO MUCH

"Trust not too much to appearances."

Virgil, 1st century BC Roman poet

Because appearances may only be what might be not what is.

Anything important to you should be more than just apparent.

THIS I PROMISE YOU

"Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it."

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Swiss political philosopher and essayist.

Promise only what you intend to do, only that you have considered carefully before promising.

TRUST BUT VERIFY

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."

Mark Twain 19th century American writer/humorist

And accepting something as true without any consideration for whether or not it is, is a form of denial.

That can get you in trouble.

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

"Self-trust is the essence of heroism."

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet/essayist/lecturer

Because most of us know our true limitations and add to that list many more we assume to be true.

Simply trusting ourselves as much as we willingly trust others, would elevate us in the eyes of the one person whose opinion of us matters the most.

Ourselves.

PROMISE NOT TO TELL?

"Three can keep a secret if two are dead."

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman/scientist/philosopher

Not all of your secrets need be kept, however the ones that do, do.

Those are the ones you share with no one.

No one!

BFF (OR A DAY, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST)

"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant."

Socrates

4th century BC Greek philosopher of Athens

Excellent advice in these Facebook days of "friends".

Promise Not To Tell Anyone?

"What is told into the ear of a man is often heard 100 miles away."

Chinese proverb

What are the consequences if a secret you share with someone is told by that person to someone else?

Answer that question before you tell them.

United We Stand? We'll Decide That

"Any unity which doesn't have its origins in the multitudes is tyranny."

Blaise Pascal

17th century French mathematician/philosopher

True unity must come from those who are to be unified; you can't force unity on them.

As a manager can you order your direct reports to work together?

Sure.

Will they?

It's your job to see that they decide they want to.

Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me

"It's all right to rat, but you can't re-rat."

Winston Churchill

20th century British politician

I like this quote, partly because it is a subject expressed in a way I would not have associated with Winston Churchill.

All the more reason his point hits home.

He's talking about betrayal.

When it comes to business, do you agree?

Get Out Of Their Way

"The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope."

Walter Benjamin

20th century German philosopher

(I can hear you now; "How will he connect this one to business?")

If we substitute "trust" for "love" and "expectations" for "hope", are we not zeroing in on the goal we have for all new hires?

And note this is not to suggest that you don't do all possible to have reason to trust, as well as to establish expectations for performance, all prior to offering the job, but once you've done that . . .

The message is, do your best to find the right people and then step back and let them perform.

Who Do You Trust?

"It is an equal failing to trust everyone and to trust no one."

English proverb

With the sweet spot coming when you determine who falls into which group.

How do you do that?

Buy Low, Sell High?

"Take care to sell your horse before he dies.  The art of life is passing losses on."

Robert Frost

20th century American poet

What do you think, is this unethical?

How do you balance considerations for honesty with a desire to achieve?

Is how you do that in your personal life different than it is in business?

If so, how so?

When In The Eye Of The Storm

"The first thing a great person does is make us realize the insignificance of circumstance."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

19th century American poet

In business great leaders make it possible for otherwise average employees to do great things regardless of how tumultuous things may seem.

Trust But Verify

"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission."

Arnold Bennett

Late 19th/early 20th century English novelist

Yes, you are the keeper of your mind's "gate", but are you always on duty?

How many business decisions have you made that were based on information you acted on without checking its validity?

Who Do You Trust?

"A good friend is my nearest relation."

Thomas Fuller

17th century British clergy/author

When it comes to business, would you more trust a blood relation or a good friend?

Employee Relations: Trust Or Cut Bait

 "If you suspect a man, don't employ him, and if you employ him, don't suspect him."

Chinese proverb

As is often true with these quotes and proverbs, this feels reasonable in theory but a bit difficult in practise.  

There are gray areas where we only begin to doubt a person, not yet to the point of even suspecting them, certainly not being convinced they are untrustworthy.

Too soon to act.

But I would couple with this with another saying which urges resolution over ongoing status quo.

"Fish or cut bait."