Ethics: Write and Wrong
A creativity coaching client of mine bought me an interesting ethics question. I asked if I could tap into my super-smart readers/commentors for help, and got the green light.
Brilliant idea. Except I didn't have the idea first. As far as I know, here is the first place to use this idea: http://www.files.chem.vt.edu
Background: You are asked to review a book on your blog and on amazon. The author is someone you have known for several years, largely through websites and occasional emails, but is not a friend. You feel you owe her (for a favor received) and agree. After reading the book, you realize that there are large parts of the book that seem to be more about marketing the author’s services than dealing strictly with the book topic.
Question: Do you review the book or decline, because you don’t agree with all that marketing?
Options discussed:
Praise what works in the book, ignore the rest. You aren’t a professional critic, you are just offering some help here for a favor received. (Will this damage your reputation?)
Give your opinion, exactly as you believe it. After all, a review is just that, not a promise of blog love. (Will this damage your relationship?)
Write the author, and say you can’t review the book, blame it on your schedule. (Are you OK with this story as a social lie?)
Write the author, and say you can’t review the book because you don’t agree with it, but assure her that her opinion is just different than yours. (Will this damage your relationhsip?)
Leave a comment:
What would you advise? You don’t have to choose any of the above, it’s just a way to give you some ideas about topics that have been discussed. The only request is to suggest only the course of action you would be willing to take yourself.
-–Quinn McDonald teaches ethics and loves listening to ideas about right and wrong. She believes there is very little black and white, and a whole lot of gray in real life.
Filed under: Coaching, In My Life, Opinion Tagged: ethics, honesty, telling a white lie
