Trust Archives - Page 9 of 11 - understand-culture

Show Me

Missouri is called the Show-Me State. The Missouri Secretary of State traces the slogan to Congressman Willard Vandiver at a naval banquet in Philadelphia. “…frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.”

Vandiver did not invent the phrase. It was in print by 1893, when the Omaha Daily Bee printed a letter from a man who wrote, “I am from Missouri and they must show me something.” The state gives the banquet as 1899. One researcher, Barry Popik, dates it to 1900, and the slogan has never been made official.

Money in Stages

Venture capital is released in stages. Economists describe it this way: “the infusion of capital occurs in stages, matching investment decisions based on information that arrives over time.”

William Sahlman explained the reason in 1990. “By staging capital the venture capitalists preserve the right to abandon a project whose prospects look dim.”

Past Performance

When the federal government buys goods and services, the Federal Acquisition Regulation requires that past performance “shall be evaluated in all source selections” for negotiated competitive acquisitions above a set threshold, unless the contracting officer documents why it is not appropriate. A contractor’s record on earlier contracts becomes part of the score.

A newcomer is treated neutrally. In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance, the offeror “may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance.”

The First 90 Days

Michael Watkins’s The First 90 Days was published by Harvard Business School Press in 2003 as a guide for managers starting a new job. It advises them to pursue small-scale “early wins” to build credibility.

Seven Probationary Years

A new professor at an American university is often hired on the tenure track. The American Association of University Professors and the Association of American Colleges set the rule in their 1940 Statement of Principles: “the probationary period should not exceed seven years.”

“After the expiration of a probationary period, teachers or investigators should have permanent or continuous tenure.”

The Probationary Year

A new federal employee in the competitive service serves a probationary period of one year. Agency guidance calls it “the final step in the examination and appointment process,” designed “so that supervisors can assess whether an employee can perform the duties of a job.” An employee can be let go if performance or conduct “fails to demonstrate fitness for continued employment.”

In February 2025 the Trump administration fired probationary employees across the government. A federal judge put the number affected at at least 25,000. Termination letters said they had “not demonstrated” that further employment would be in the public interest. In April a federal judge, William Alsup, ordered agencies to tell the workers in writing that they were not fired for performance reasons.

The judge explained why: “Termination under the false pretense of performance is an injury that will persist for the working life of each civil servant.”

The 199th Pick

The New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady with the 199th pick in 2000, in the sixth round. Their starter was Drew Bledsoe, who had signed a 10-year, $103 million contract. On September 23, 2001, a hit from the Jets linebacker Mo Lewis sheared an artery, and Brady got his chance.

In November, with Bledsoe back, Bill Belichick announced that Brady would remain the starter. Bledsoe said he had been told he would get a chance to win back his job. Brady finished that season as the Super Bowl MVP.

The Secured Card

An American who does not qualify for a regular credit card can start with a secured card, backed by a cash deposit. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains: “With most of these cards, your credit line starts out small.”

“As you show you can pay on time, your credit limit may be raised and you may have your deposit refunded.” The bureau also defines the test. “On time” means the payment gets to the company by the day the bill is due.

Graded and Progressive Responsibility

A new American doctor has the degree but not yet the independence. In its 2014 program requirements the accrediting body for residency programs, the ACGME, called the rule “graded and progressive responsibility” and described it as “one of the core tenets of American graduate medical education.”

Residents received more as they “demonstrate growth in their ability to care for patients.” Supervisory roles and conditional independence were a privilege, and they “must be assigned by the program director and faculty members.”

Trust in Each Other Is Shrinking

In 2019 the Pew Research Center published “Trust and Distrust in America,” based on a survey of 10,618 adults. Some 71% thought that trust between Americans had declined over the past twenty years.

Age made a large difference. Nearly half of adults under 30 (46%) were what Pew called low trusters, against 19% of adults 65 and older. Among those under 30, 71% said most people would try to take advantage of you if they got a chance.