On Monday, we posted a warning sign to see "it" coming. Here are two more warning signs to look for.
2. "This is a no-lose case with a guaranteed two-comma verdict.” Listen to this quotation from Proverbs 28:20: “[H]e that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” Isn’t that the truth?
From the fictional Gordon Gekko to the all-too-real Bernie Madoff, those who greedily grasp after riches may be slow to reveal their lack of integrity. They show their true character only under careful attention and scrutiny. The best antidote: Be a person of character. As W.C. Fields wisely remarked, “You can’t cheat an honest man.”
3. “We must decide today!” Here is the greatest enemy of an integrity-based decision: time pressure. “Fire the employee now!” “We have to get this order of widgets out by 5 p.m. — no ifs, ands or buts.”
To paraphrase H.L. Mencken, decisions made under unnecessary time pressures usually are “swift, sure, and wrong.” When under pressure to do something now, the wise attorney should ask the client, “If we had 10 times as much time to make this decision, would it be the same decision?”
Comments