Honesty is a tricky thing. It is. I just walked through the "expert traveler" line at the airport. Have I travelled? Yes. Am I an expert traveler that met all the requirements on the sign? No. So, was I being dishonest by walking in that line? In the classical sense, yes. But everybody has their own personal tolerance for dishonesty, even if they don't like to admit it.

When you are in a business environment, honesty can be a big issue. It's especially big in the marketing profession. What are the honesty guidelines for marketers? Here is my take on the subject.

Clients and Coworkers

In my early career, I was read the riot act by a Project Manager one morning. He was upset that I had failed to deliver a letter proposal to an important client. He was at the site, sitting next to the client, while tearing me a new one over the phone. I felt like dirt and apologized up and down. I did not even remember what the proposal was about.

After the call, I sat down at my desk to lick my wounds. Then I looked to my right. What I saw was handwritten notes about the scope of the letter proposal. They were written in the Project Manager's handwriting and he had written the date on the top left corner of the page. It was that day's date.

This guy had procrastinated on getting me the information for the proposal. He knew the client was expecting it, so before his meeting he stopped by the office early and dropped it off at my desk. He then called me in front of the client to make it look like he was not to blame. He wanted the client to think that he was responsive; he was on the ball; it was just that stupid young marketer in his office that screwed it up...again!

When I confronted him, he was perplexed that I was so PO'd by this. He explained that this was not uncommon. He was right, I was later told by another Project Manager that she would blame "Suzie," the Marketer in the office, to cover her tracks. But there was no "Suzie." There was only "Matt."

In my book, lying to a client, no matter what the circumstance, is unacceptable.   Lying to or about another co-worker is unacceptable. It shows a lack of caring. If you don't truly care about the clients or the people you work with, you should be working somewhere else.

Making Misleading Statements

Another area where dishonesty rears it's ugly head with Marketers is misleading those you work with or for in order to reach your personal objectives.  It may seem like a victimless crime, but often you end up victimizing yourself.

"Here is a document that has been approved by Joe Blow."

If Joe Blow has never seen or approved that document, he may never find out about it's existence. And sure, this approach will get things done much quicker. But if and when Joe Blow finds out, you have not only hurt your relationship with Joe, you have also hurt your credibility at the firm. This is because there are few secrets in any organization. Whether you realize it or not, word gets out.

Misrepresenting Activity 

One more situation Marketers find themselves in is misrepresenting their activities to create the perception that they are being more successful or to paint themselves in a more sympathetic light.

"I've left ten messages with Jim at XYZ Corp and he just won't return my calls."

What happens if a member of the technical staff mentions this to Jim and finds out you left only one message or didn't even call. That creates a crack in the fragile bond of trust you have with the technical staff. That bond should be sacred. You've also inadvertently alerted  the client to the fact that you are a liar.

Marketers tell themselves that these things are "no big deal." But what you are doing is creating a negative reputation for yourself and hurting the rest of us by feeding the perception that Marketers are liars. Think about your firm's honesty guidelines and how they connect to your firm's marketing effort. You can create a culture where this behavior is unacceptable. But you have to be willing to lead by example.