DON'T JUST TRUST, BUILD SYSTEMS TO ENSURE TRUST.

RATHER THAN COMPLAIN ABOUT LACK OF TRUST, DEPLOY SYSTEMS TO ENSURE IT.

Warren Buffett famously said, “Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if you don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”

With all that Buffett has achieved, I’ve always trusted his wisdom. Yet, in a society where integrity feels like a scarce resource, hiring the right people can seem like an endless battle.

Take my experience in 2024. I hired John (not his real name) as a driver, agreeing to pay him 80,000 Naira per month. Not long after, I noticed he had a habit of shortchanging me—for instance, buying 46,000 Naira worth of petrol instead of the 50,000 I instructed, pocketing the balance.

When confronted, John repeatedly denied it. To address the issue, I didn’t just rely on trust; I implemented a system. I instructed him to buy fuel only from designated stations and told the staff there to inform me of any discrepancies or dubious proposals.

My suspicions were confirmed within a week. John soon realised he couldn’t outsmart the system and eventually resigned.

This experience reminded me of my mentor Chuji’s advice: “In an environment where integrity is scarce, don’t overthink trust. Build systems to check it, and let the business run itself. If you find trustworthy people, fantastic. If not, the systems will keep things in order.”

Since then, I’ve adopted various tools to enhance accountability and performance—Point of Sale solutions, cameras, and other workplace monitoring systems. These measures ensure that the business operates smoothly, regardless of who’s on the team.

If your organisation is facing similar challenges, I’m happy to recommend solutions tailored to our unique Nigerian environment.

Get in touch, and let’s make your business more resilient.

Shalom, and have a blessed week!

If you are looking to print, brand, design or publish anything, please get in touch with me at Jewel Publishers, +2348033615992, chukachiezie@jewelpublishersng.com, jewelswriting@gmail.com

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