Tis the season to be jolly. In fact, if you think about it, there is a lot to laugh about. Just when you thought you had seen it all, that things couldn’t sink any lower, along comes Illinois Governor Blogojevich and his senate seat folly – ya gotta love it. This is stuff you can’t make up. Seriously though, this depressing example of public service does serve to remind us why integrity and ethics in our business dealings matter. There is a lesson to be learned (and it’s not to check for wire taps). Character and integrity matter in business. Whether you live in a huge metropolitan area like Los Angeles or in the heartland in places such as Rapid City, South Dakota, what you do and how you do it is not something you can take for granted, because word does get around quickly. Every city is a small city when you do something unethical.  If you treat your vendors badly by delaying payment, or cheat your customers by not giving them the sale price when you ring up their purchase (a huge problem, by the way), or simply fail to do what you promised to do, you make a lasting impression that will be shared with everyone that person knows. One disgruntled customer will tell at least 9 other people about their unhappy experience—that adds up fast and those lost sales are very difficult to regain.