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> I don't 100%, but video evidence and multiple sources helps a lot. Then have your worker collect video evidence and information from multiple sources to have

> I don't 100%, but video evidence and multiple sources helps a lot. Then have your worker collect video evidence and information from multiple sources to have on hand when you need greater assurances. You're the boss. They're simply there to relieve you from having to do the job yourself. It is reasonable to expect them to do the job like you would. > you have many more representatives than any normal manager has direct reports. Government systems can differ, but typically you hire one employee for any one government that you oversee. It is likely that you are in charge of a few governments (e.g. federal, state, municipal), but unlikely more than a small handful. It would be quite unusual for a manager to have fewer direct reports in an organization of any meaningful size. > You have nowhere near that level of control over your representatives You most certainly do as long as you have the rest of the board on your side. Finding consensus with the board may be a challenge, but that's true of any organization. The sitting board at the widget factory isn't bowing to your every wish either. > While I trust my direct reports and employees, I very much occasionally verify that their work is being done. So why not do the same with the employee you hire to watch over political matters?

tsimionescu 3y ago
Again, I don't trust politicians, and I have good reason not to. You need multiple sources of information to corroborate in any setting you care about. Plus, while it's true that in some government systems you only vote for a specific person, in many others you vote for a political party, and they allocate people as needed and according to the total votes they got. I think this system is far more common than the other one, and it is the system I live in (for parliament and town councils - it's true that for presidential and mayoral elections you vote for a single person). Finally, having "a board" of some 2 million or 20 million or 200 million people is entirely different from having a board of 10. And then, social media is exactly one of the ways I can collaborate with my other "board members" at this scale. Already if I'm a board member and not a manager, then much of your metaphors die away: active board members absolutely do more than read reports from their CEO, they read newspapers and watch analysts talk about their business. They don't rely entirely on the CEO for info on how the business is doing. And I have yet to see a company led by 200 co-CEOs, each chosen by a different board - and yet this is how must countries operate. It's almost like democratic countries are a totally different kind of organization than autocratic companies, and require totally different means of interaction. In addition, CEOs are legally liable if they lie to their boards about the state of the business. Politicians are very much entirely protected for any and all things they say to the public about their activity. Your mayor could publicly tell you that they have paved your own driveway with gold and that they are increasing taxes to pay for the maintenance of that gold that doesn't exist, and it would be completely legal for them to do so.

tsimionescu 3y ago

Again, I don't trust politicians, and I have good reason not to. You need multiple sources of information to corroborate in any setting you care about. Plus, while it's true that in some government systems you only vote for a specific person, in many others you vote for a political party, and they allocate people as needed and according to the total votes they got. I think this system is far more common than the other one, and it is the system I live in (for parliament and town councils - it's true that for presidential and mayoral elections you vote for a single person). Finally, having "a board" of some 2 million or 20 million or 200 million people is entirely different from having a board of 10. And then, social media is exactly one of the ways I can collaborate with my other "board members" at this scale. Already if I'm a board member and not a manager, then much of your metaphors die away: active board members absolutely do more than read reports from their CEO, they read newspapers and watch analysts talk about their business. They don't rely entirely on the CEO for info on how the business is doing. And I have yet to see a company led by 200 co-CEOs, each chosen by a different board - and yet this is how must countries operate. It's almost like democratic countries are a totally different kind of organization than autocratic companies, and require totally different means of interaction. In addition, CEOs are legally liable if they lie to their boards about the state of the business. Politicians are very much entirely protected for any and all things they say to the public about their activity. Your mayor could publicly tell you that they have paved your own driveway with gold and that they are increasing taxes to pay for the maintenance of that gold that doesn't exist, and it would be completely legal for them to do so.