If people believe you're on their side, they will trust your

Hear the wise words of Dee Dee Myers, who once stood at the heart of power in the White House and learned the delicate dance of persuasion and trust: “If people believe you’re on their side, they will trust your decisions.” These are not casual words, but a truth forged in the fires of politics, leadership, and human nature. They remind us that the strength of authority does not lie in command alone, but in the conviction of the people that their leader stands with them, not above them.

For what is trust if not the bridge between the leader and the led? No decision, however wise, will be embraced if it is believed to come from cold distance or selfish gain. But if the people feel that the leader shares their burdens, knows their struggles, and seeks their good, then even difficult decisions will be borne with patience. To be “on their side” is to stand shoulder to shoulder, to show solidarity, to embody loyalty. This is the soil in which trust grows.

History abounds with this truth. Consider Abraham Lincoln in the dark years of the Civil War. He made choices that were bitter, choices that cost lives, choices that stretched the nation to its breaking point. Yet when he spoke, he spoke not as a distant ruler but as one who shared in the suffering of his people. His words—humble, compassionate, resolute—convinced many that he was on their side. Because of that belief, they bore hardships they might otherwise have resisted, and his decisions endured.

Contrast this with Lyndon Johnson in the era of Vietnam. His Great Society had noble ambitions, yet the war eroded the people’s faith. They no longer believed he was on their side, but instead serving ambition or false assurances. The same man who had achieved so much in civil rights and social progress lost his ability to lead, for the bridge of trust had collapsed. His decisions, no matter their intent, could no longer carry the weight of public belief.

Dee Dee Myers, speaking from her own experience as White House Press Secretary, knew that power is fragile when not joined to perception. Leaders are not judged only by what they do, but by how their people feel about them. If they believe you are with them, you may stumble, yet they will forgive. If they believe you are against them, even your triumphs will be viewed with suspicion. Thus, to lead is not merely to decide—it is to embody allegiance, to cultivate faith, to be seen as an ally rather than a master.

O seekers, learn this lesson in your own lives. Whether you lead a nation, a company, a family, or a single friend through hardship, your greatest strength lies not in the brilliance of your choices, but in the belief that you care for those you guide. If they know you are on their side, they will follow you even into uncertainty. But if they doubt your loyalty, no wisdom will suffice to win them.

Practical is this wisdom: show empathy before you show authority. Listen before you speak. Let your actions reveal that you are not seeking your own glory, but the good of those who depend on you. In every word and deed, signal that you are with them, not apart from them. Then, when the time comes to make hard decisions, they will trust you, not because you are perfect, but because they know you are theirs.

Thus Dee Dee Myers’ words ring with enduring truth: trust is not built on command but on allegiance, not on power but on solidarity. To be on the people’s side is to win their faith, and with their faith, even the heaviest decisions can be carried. This is the ancient art of leadership, the secret that binds leaders and followers together across the ages.