Go for the Gold

Ok, here’s my first blog post. Social media gets a new voice in all the chatter. And the first thing I have to write about is a fairly controversial subject, yay me.

The question is: What to do when you discover that your client is unethical. You love the product, you love the value proposition and you love the possibility of the brand. However, time and again the client displays questionable and borderline unethical conduct. You know you have to let them go. You are faced with the dilemma of whether to be honest about the reasons or simply tell them it’s not working out. No matter how smart I think I am, I believe there is no one smarter than “all of us.” So, in these cases, I like to reach out to a trusted colleague to check in with my instincts. Charlotte Risch, owner of The Media Push (visit her blog), is one such colleague. Her advice is “less is more.” She says it is her nature to be upfront and honest, and depending on how well she knows a client will determine her approach. Though she would handle the issue on a case-by-case basis, generally she would tell the client that, given choices they have made, she feels that it is best that each party move on. “Keep it simple, keep it clean and move on.” Good advice.

What impresses me the most about Charlotte is how she balances honesty with grace.

Doing the right thing is important to me, no matter how cliche that tenet. Doing the right thing always leads to something better. The very same day I gave the client the boot, I signed an even better deal with an even more prestigious new client.

The theme this past week in Beijing is about courage, integrity, and determination to be the best. The Olympic spirit should fold into our own lives, every day.

With that, the moral of the story: it takes courage to fly.