Ominous Ethical Warning
October 25, 2010
In an age when anyone can have a widely-read (or even merely Googleable) blog, why would anyone cheat people out of money? I just sent the below e-mail to a guy:
I have not received a check.
If you have not sent a check already, there is no need to do so. I have other things to do than chase $63.
If you have sent a check, please tell me. For reasons I'm not going to go into, it's important that I know that you sent the check on Oct. 6th.
Thanks,
Mike
He has no idea what is about to happen to his online reputation. It's a long story, and it's one I'm going to tell if this guy can't prove to me he sent a check. (If/when the post comes up, you'll see that it's not about $63.)
In general I treat people well because that's my circuitry. I don't cheat people because that's just not in my nature. Yet I am constantly getting e-mails and Facebook messages from people describing an interaction with a mutual friend.
It's a small world. If you cheat someone, humans - in real life - are going to find out.
It's also a wired world. If you cheat someone, he might have a blog.
Even if being ethical isn't "your thing," in a small-and-wired world, you shouldn't go around ripping people off. Sure, most of the time you'll get away with it. What happens when you don't?
I'm reminded of tax advice learned during Business Planning. My law professor, a former tax planner, always told clients who wanted to cheat on their taxes, "There's a low chance you will get audited. There is a 100% chance that, if audited, you'll be fucked."
It only takes one time for you to cheat the wrong guy. And then for the rest of your life, whenever someone Google's your name, they're going to find the cheated guy's blog.
Leave the morality of honesty for another day. Today, being honest is in your selfish interest.