On Tuesday evening while Nancy and I were at the Pittsburgh Pirates game, Manager Clint Hurdle put Tony Watson in to pitch in the 7th inning. If you are any kind of a Pirate fan, you know that has been something quite typical over the past several years. In either the 7th or 8th innings Hurdle has relied on Watson to come into games and hold leads. Watson has done that extremely well–until the last several games. In fact, over his previous three appearances Watson had been hit hard, given up a number of runs and lost a couple of the games.
So why put Watson into the game on Tuesday night with a slim two-run lead? Because Clint Hurdle trusts Tony Watson. Because good leaders base their trust on experience not feelings. Watson has proven his effectiveness over the past several years, and the past several outings are most likely an anomaly. The only way for Hurdle to know whether that was the case was to put his trust in Watson and give him the opportunity pitch again. Had Watson blown another lead, which led to another Pirates’ loss, the trust may have seemed misplaced. Thankfully, (speaking as an avid Pirates fan!) Watson came through and pitched a “clean” inning, giving up a single hit and no runs.
One of the important characteristics of leaders is they trust people. While we live in a world where it seems increasingly difficult to trust others, my experience has been when you put your trust in people, they generally give their best to show themselves worthy of that trust. I need to be clear that trusting someone doesn’t mean being gullible. It wasn’t gullibility that led Clint Hurdle to trust Tony Watson on Tuesday night, but several years of demonstrated competency. I remember the words of former President Reagan when he was asked whether we ought to trust other governments, particularly when it came to nuclear arms. He said, “Trust and verify.”
Great leaders in life practice trust with verification, not gullibility or wishful thinking. As you consider whether to trust a co-worker, an acquaintance at church, someone who serves on a community board with you or anyone in your spheres of influence, it’s always helpful to base your trust on what you know of the person’s track record. Has he or she been trustable in your experience in the past? If you don’t know the person well are you willing to demonstrate trust and then verify that it is well placed? In other words, are you willing to entrust the person with responsibility or with sensitive information and then respond based on how he handles the trust. It is never good leadership to trust blindly regardless of performance or faithfulness in a relationship. Good leadership trusts and responds according to the response of the other person.
People have asked me why I am so trusting, and why I assume people will do what they say they will do, despite the reality that sometimes people aren’t trustable. My short response is that I have found most people, probably 95%, have responded positively to my entrusting them with responsibility, sensitive information, or friendship. I’m not going to let the small percentage who have not been trustable turn me into a cynical or suspicious person. Life is far too short to always expect the worst of people.
I’ll admit when I saw Tony Watson warming up before the 7th inning the other night, I turned to Nancy and asked, “Why is Clint Hurdle putting Watson in the game?” My memory was too short, clouded by the past few days, rather than remembering the past several years. I once heard Clint Hurdle say, “You all have an opinion about what I should do in any situation, and you’re entitled to it. In that moment my opinion is the one that matters, and I make the best choice I can based on the best information I have available to me at the time.” As it turned out, Hurdle was right to trust Tony Watson, and after the 7th inning my trust was reinforced as well. I hope the next time you have the opportunity to trust or mistrust someone, you will make your decision based on the best information you have available at the time, because about 95% of the time the person will be worthy of your trust.
Here’s to leading better–today!