ADS specializes in using Ruby on Rails to build advanced, scalable, database-backed web sites for organizations of all sizes. Find out more at our website.

Without trust, a business is doomed to fail, or at a minimum, limp along until it finally dies. Employees must trust their employers, and employers must trust their employees. My philosophy has always been to give trust until proven otherwise. In business, that can work against you if you run into the wrong people. Further, as is usually the case, once trust is broken it may never be regained. Sometimes, people have had their trust violated to the point that they don’t trust anyone anymore. If you’re a leader and you lack trust, you have a big problem on your hands. So, how can you work once more become a trusting person without going all in?

Trust But Verify.

When we first started doing Ruby on Rails development, we contracted a majority of the development work. This meant working with non-local people who we never met face to face. We had clients who had real deadlines that we had to meet, and it was our reputation on the line. This is where “trust but verify” came into play. I trusted that our contractors would deliver on the quality and timeliness they promised. I verified by putting contracts in place, and having all of our project management and time keeping systems online. We also kept all of our source code repositories online as well, and I got messages every time they checked in code. In this way, I could ensure that they were on track with what the promised. my trust grew along the way.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that you have to start somewhere. I understand that you may not be a particularly trusting individual, but you have to start somewhere. Give a little bit of trust, and verify that that trust has not been violated. Keep doing that over and over until you feel comfortable. That trust will come through in your interaction with everyone. And remember, you have to give to get.

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