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GOVERNANCE & MINISTRY
by Dan Hotchkiss
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What Buck Stops Where?
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Excerpt
A famous sign on Harry Truman’s desk declared, THE BUCK STOPS HERE. “The President—whoever he is,” Truman explained, “has to decide.” Truman’s example has inspired many leaders to accept appropriate responsibility. But a careless reading of his slogan can lead to the mistake of thinking that whoever can make a decision always should. Truman surely understood this. As an artillery captain in the First World War, he made a name for himself by making corporals and sergeants responsible for discipline and promising to demote them if they failed. “I didn’t come here to get along with you,” he said. “You’ve got to get along with me.” Truman accepted final responsibility, but holding a sergeant accountable for the conduct of his soldiers meant insisting that a multitude of bucks stop short of the captain’s desk. Willingness to accept final responsibility is not the same as making all of the decisions. In
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