Trust is the easiest control you can build into an organization — and also the most productive one

When the default is “we trust each other,” work flows, people act like adults, and things get done without friction.

A few practical lessons I pulled from a recent Rework podcast (David Heinemeier Hansson & Kimberly Rhodes):

• Protect the truly critical things, and trust the rest.
  • Customer data = special case. Encrypt it, require a reason to unlock it, log every access, and have a second person review those logs. That’s a technical, multi-layered guardrail for the one area where trust alone isn’t enough (David’s wife asked, “Can your employees read my email?” — that’s the moment of clarity).
  • Everything else? Default to trust. Don’t force approvals for every small action — it creates overhead and resentment.
• Autonomy on spending beats petty control.
  • The opposite of trust is a humiliating approval process for a $50 book. Set a high spending ceiling, give people company cards, and audit after the fact. If something looks off, have a conversation — don’t weaponize a one-off into a forever policy.
  • Encourage investment in tools that make people better (computers, cameras, software). Time saved + joy at work = real ROI.
• Make managers evaluate output, not chair time.
  • Managers should judge quality and pace. If something’s slow or poor, that’s a conversation. If not, don’t obsess about how many hours someone “looks” like they’re at their desk.
  • Use simple rituals to keep work visible: Monday plans, end-of-day “what I worked on,” and a 6-week team heartbeat summary. Those three signals tell you more than constant surveillance.
• Hire for demonstrated skill, not resume buzzwords.
  • No process is foolproof, but practical tests and work samples filter out people who can fake it. In 25 years, deliberate fraud was rare — and skill-based filters help catch the rest.
• Radical candor + consequences = a healthy trust battery.
  • Tell people when they mess up; tell people when they’re falling behind. Pay attention.
  • If someone repeatedly isn’t the right fit, part ways. If someone excels, promote them quickly. The combination of feedback and follow-through builds trust norms.

Quick checklist you can put to work tomorrow:

1. Encrypt and audit any access to customer-sensitive data.
2. Raise the spending floor — spot-check afterwards.
3. Require managers to track deliverables (not hours): Monday plan, end-of-day note, 6-week heartbeat.
4. Hire with work-samples or take-home tasks.
5. Practice radical candor: immediate feedback + follow-up.

What’s one small change you made that increased trust at your company? I’d love to hear a real example.