(originally published October 1st, 2005)

I may have mentioned before that I participate in an online networking group called Ryze. Earlier today, I was reading a message to one group where the person, a website designer, was being asked by her client to set up the page so that people could sign up membership, but couldn't unsubscribe. This person wanted to make sure he'd reached a certain number of clientele before he decided to add a way for people to get out of it.

She was troubled, and asked people for their thoughts on the matter. Every person who wrote her, including me, said it was a bad idea, quite unethical, and probably would come back to haunt her because, as we all know, people who commit bad acts never want to go down alone. It could ruin her reputation, and why let someone else do that to you.

No matter what it is you do for a career, or even in life, credibility will determine how long you'll get to do anything. For instance, if you're someone who's always late for appointments, how long do you think people will continue trusting you when you commit to something? If you're always promising something and never deliver, how long do you think it will be that not only will you not be believed, but people will stop asking you for anything? Maybe you didn't want to do that particular thing in the first place, but if you think your "needs" will only stop there, you're mistaken. Just like the boy who cried wolf, things have a way of escalating in ways one can't imagine.

We all need to work towards being ethical in everything we do. Things don't always go perfect; no one should expect that they will. But isn't standing up for what's right, as opposed to what's wrong, worth those few miscues?