Look Before You Leap

Proverbs 14:15-16

• 15.
 
• A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

• 16.
 
• A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

We've all heard the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  But I question its application in the business world.  When I started out in business, I was a simple man, according to Proverbs.  I thought that I would look out for everyone's best interests and they would look out for mine.  But that isn't true.  A friend once said, "You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate." Contracts have become much more important than intentions.  What you wanted doesn't matter, the only thing that matters are the terms set forth in the contract. The value of a contract, though, is that it forces us to think about what we are getting into.  When you enter a partnership, the contract allows you to spell out what you believe, to "give thought" to your steps and "shun evil."  It's a real opportunity to look before you leap that should be taken advantage of, lest we become "hotheaded and reckless."