The Trust Problem: Why Nobody Believes Your Numbers

Last quarter, you sent a correction to the board deck.

It was a small error—a formula that pointed to the wrong cell. Maybe $20K in a $10M report. You caught it yourself. You sent the correction immediately.

But now, every time you present numbers, there's a question behind the eyes: "Are these numbers right?"

That's the trust problem.

How Trust Erodes

Trust doesn't collapse in a single event. It erodes gradually:

First correction: "Everyone makes mistakes."

Second correction: "This is concerning."

Third correction: "I'm going to start checking these myself."

Fourth correction: "I don't trust these numbers at all."

Each error, even small ones, compounds. The fifth error isn't judged in isolation—it's judged against the pattern of four previous ones.

The Asterisk Effect

Once trust erodes, every number carries an invisible asterisk.

When you say "EBITDA is $2.1M," the listener thinks "EBITDA is $2.1M*"

*approximately
*subject to correction
*I hope
*better double-check

The asterisk means your numbers don't carry the weight they should. Decisions based on them feel tentative. Actions based on them feel risky.

Why Finance Errors Matter More

Marketing makes mistakes. Sales makes mistakes. Product makes mistakes.

Finance errors feel different. Finance is supposed to be the source of truth. The scorekeepers. The validators.

When finance gets numbers wrong, it's not just one department failing—it's the reliability of the entire information system in question.

This isn't fair, but it's reality.

Common Error Sources

Errors don't come from carelessness. They come from process gaps:

Manual data entry: Typing numbers means typos.

Copy-paste workflows: Wrong cell, wrong sheet, wrong file.

Broken links: External references that silently fail.

Unmapped accounts: Balances that exist but don't appear.

Formula drift: Templates that worked six months ago but broke over time.

Version confusion: Edits made to the wrong file.

Most errors are predictable. They come from the same places every time.

The Rebuilding Process

Rebuilding trust takes longer than losing it. But it's possible:

Acknowledge the problem: Don't pretend errors didn't happen. Own them.

Identify root causes: Not "someone made a mistake" but "our process for X is vulnerable."

Implement controls: Specific changes that prevent the specific errors.

Demonstrate improvement: Track your error rate. Show the trend.

Communicate changes: Let stakeholders know what you've done differently.

Trust rebuilds through consistent performance over time.

The Validation Habit

Adopt a validation mindset:

Before distribution, verify: Don't assume the numbers are right. Confirm they are.

Tie to sources: Every key number should trace to its source.

Reconcile totals: Report totals should equal GL totals. Check this every time.

Second set of eyes: Someone else reviews before distribution.

Check the checks: Your validation process can have errors too. Validate the validators.

This takes time. It's faster than sending corrections.

The Communication Strategy

When errors do happen—and they will—how you communicate matters:

Speed: Discover and disclose quickly. Don't let stakeholders find it first.

Clarity: What was wrong? What is correct? What changed?

Context: Material or immaterial? Affects decisions or doesn't?

Prevention: What's being done to prevent recurrence?

The correction email is as important as the original report.

The Transparency Balance

Some finance teams hide errors to protect credibility. This backfires.

If you hide a small error and someone discovers it, you've created two problems: the error and the cover-up. The cover-up is worse.

Transparent error handling—"we found this, we fixed this, we prevented this"—builds more trust than pretending errors don't happen.

Measuring Trust

How do you know if trust is improving?

Question frequency: Are stakeholders asking fewer "are you sure?" questions?

Correction frequency: Are you sending fewer corrections?

Request patterns: Are stakeholders asking for more analysis (sign of trust) or more validation (sign of distrust)?

Direct feedback: Ask your stakeholders. "Do you trust the numbers you get from finance?"

Trust is soft but measurable.

Your Current State

Be honest: What's your trust level with stakeholders?

If there's doubt, acknowledge it. To yourself and to them.

Then start the rebuild. Better processes. Better validation. Better communication.

The asterisk doesn't have to be permanent. But it won't go away on its own.

Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. Time to start collecting drops.