Friday, February 26, 2010

"Ask me

...no questions, and I'll tell you no lies" is no way to maintain any kind of partnership. Faith and trust require risking openness as well as betrayal. If the product has a flaw, or if a partner has an undisclosed relationship that could appear inappropriate, the fallout from the cover-up will be far worse than the cost of the truth. You might not get the job if you have a poor product or if you have a connection that is questionable (then again, you might - disclosure would add strength to the "good-faith on your part" element of any decision). Deception, however, will get you labeled as a liar and a fraud.

Oversight or poor judgment can be understood ("I had no idea my friend Mr. Smith was part of the approval process for this project." "We felt the accessibility shortcoming could be overcome soon after launch.")

Lying means you made a conscious decision to do the wrong thing, presumably for your own benefit. Giving a second chance to you after you've gone down that road is going to be very difficult - and most would consider it unwise.