The President never runs out of toilet paper

Delegation requires trust. It’s simple, but not easy. If you don’t trust your people, you’ll never be able to let go enough for them to do their jobs and for you to do yours. To illustrate this idea, I turn once again to the chief executive of our federal government.

I’ve asked my clients on occasion to imagine how much trust in staff is necessary for the President to be effective. To me, the office simply doesn’t work without it.

For the meeting with a foreign leader to be successful, the protocol experts must prepare just so. The policy experts must make the briefing documents relevant and timely.

For the day to meet its objectives, and to lead to the next effective day, the schedulers must build in time for the President’s exercise, meals and rest.

For the news conference to seem thoughtful, the media team must put together photos and bios of the reporters, along with examples of possible questions.

For the speech to have an impact, the writers must revise and rewrite, and the teleprompter operator must keep track of pacing and ad-libs.

And of course, for the comfort and hygiene of the First Family and their staff and guests, the bathrooms of the White House must be well-stocked at all times.

The nearest CVS store is about a block away from the White House. But you’ll never see the President dashing across 15th Street because someone used the last roll of toilet paper. That’s just not the way the job works. And the job works only because of trust.

I imagine a bargain, stated or unstated, that sounds something like this. “I agree to act like the world’s most powerful toddler for the next four to eight years, utterly dependent on the lot of you for nearly every single thing I need. And you agree to provide those things, so that together we can make this country a better place.”

There’s no bargain this grand for the rest of us mere mortals, of course. But smaller, similar bargains abound every day.

Coaching prompts:

• What aspects of your role depend on your ability to trust your staff to do their roles?

• What elements of this kind of trust are hard for you? Why?