Thursday, January 15, 2009

Trust, but Verify

One of the CEOs I've worked with frequently uses the phrase, Trust, but verify.

It's not exactly a warm fuzzy, but it makes sense. For example, this past weekend I went out to eat with friends. Janey ordered chicken parmesan; I had the Asian noodle bowl. Given the American restaurant obsession with huge portions, neither Janey nor I could finish our meal.

The waiter took our dishes, and returned, presenting our boxed food with a flourish -- making a point of giving us each a specific box.

The flourish was lovely, but the boxes were wrong. Janey went home with Asian noodles; I got the chicken parmesan.

Trust, but verify.

2 comments:

Bud Simpson said...

Wow, I never thought I'd hear you quote Ronald Reagan. :)

Jan said...

Oh lord, I forgot it was a Reagan quote. I apologize. :-)