Today, “The buck stops here” remains a popular saying among Americans. It’s traditionally associated with our 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. In fact, a plaque with these words frequently adorned his desk in the presidential office.
Historians say that if not for this association, “The buck stops here” phrase might have long passed out of vogue.
What does “The buck stops here” mean?
The saying “the buck stops here” means I will accept responsibility for my decisions, and I will not try to pass responsibility on to someone else. If something goes wrong, I will do my best to fix it.
Period.
It’s a noble idea and an admirable way to run a business, as well as a presidential administration.
What is a “buck,” what is its origin, and why is it passed?
“The buck stops here” derives from the phrase “passing the buck.”
When someone passes the buck, they are passing responsibility on to someone else.
But what exactly is the “buck” that is being passed? Is it a dollar bill? Or perhaps a male deer?
No.
A buck is a common object that was used in poker games in the 1800s in gambling saloons and riverboats. “Buck” was short for buckhorn knife.
When people played poker, they took turns dealing the cards. A small object, called a buck, or marker, was placed in front of the person who was to be the dealer. If a gambler didn’t want to deal, he could “pass the buck” on to someone else.
A bit more about Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was United States President from 1945 to 1953. He was Vice President when President Franklin Roosevelt died in office, not even four months into his 4th term.
This thrust Truman into the position of leadership of the United States through the final phases of World War II. It was Truman who ordered the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war. He was the first US president during the beginning of the Cold War with Russia.
In years to follow, Truman’s national agenda became known as “The Fair Deal.” It included an expansion of Social Security, the Fair Employment Practices Act, an expanded GI bill for returning vets, and an increase in the minimum wage. The programs guaranteed equal rights for all Americans.
Today, many historians regard Truman as one of our best presidents—a feeling that was not shared by many citizens during his actual presidency.
However, one fact not up for dispute is Truman’s everlasting association with the phrase “The buck stops here.”
My personal experience with “The buck stops here”
I think many people admire the sentiment of “The buck stops here.” But it’s rare to find someone who has demonstrated commitment to these words.
However, I once had a manager display this very attitude at work.
It was impressive.
At the time, I was a computer programmer at a brokerage firm. One day, the online trading system took a terrible crash, sending all the higher-ups scrambling to determine the cause. Millions of dollars were at stake, as well as the institution’s reputation.
All managers raced upstairs to the computer room, where large mainframes usually kept the company’s business processing humming along.
Shortly afterward, a programmer in my office called me to his desk to see if I could figure out what went wrong with his test run of coding updates.
Uh oh.
There on the screen were hundreds of hysterical asterisks, warning that the job had just run against production files. Not the best thing to do during the trading day—or EVER! Tests on new code should always be run against test files. Programming 1.0.
I went upstairs to find my manager and let him know I found the source of the computer crash. I gave him the details as we raced back downstairs.
He quickly assessed the problem and ran back upstairs, now knowing he needed to restore the production files to the best of his and the system’s ability. Over the coming weeks he worked with management to install security on production files to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.
Not a good day. But it could have been worse for some.
Later on that day, my manager told me that his bosses assumed I caused the problem, since I was the one who came running upstairs. But he had assured everyone I was just the messenger. This left seven other possible culprits.
But my manager went further. He told me he didn’t want me to disclose to anyone who had run that ill-fated job.
It ends up, the IT Department head wanted to fire the programmer who was responsible for the system crash. He was to be fired that day. On the spot. But my boss told him that since the person who made the mistake worked for him, it was ultimately his responsibility: if anyone was going to be fired it was going to him.
But management did not want to fire him. And so, he remained as did his entire team.
I was very impressed with my manager’s actions. Not only did he take full responsibility and solve the problem, but he protected his staff, as well. However, he knew that someone had to be held responsible, and so he stepped up to the plate. This manager was a retired Marine, and I believe it was his military training that taught him loyalty and responsibility.
Are there other examples out there?
In my life, I have learned about many acts of bravery and witnessed some firsthand. But “the buck stops here” is a slightly different animal. It means admitting you are responsible and are going to set things right. Sometimes this means personally suffering the consequences.
I believe these are great words to live by in business. You will not only earn the loyalty of your staff but the admiration of your boss or investors.
What do you think?
Today, do you think people live by “the buck stops here” or “the buck stops somewhere else”?
