PAY IT FORWARD…JUST NOT SO FAST.

Last week, a colleague whom I think of (or thought of) as being bright, reliable and trustworthy forwarded a significant private email on to a third party.

The colleague (we’ll call him Joe) and I had been exchanging emails, discussing a client and how best Joe might position things. Our emails went back and forth until we figured out the most effective strategy for his introduction. Once we’d settled on the approach, Joe then forwarded the ENTIRE email exchange on to the client with his opening introduction.

OK….Deep breath.

So…why did this happen?

A combination of carelessness, rushing, and perhaps looking at too many emails on a tiny screen (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid) on which one sees only the top email, forgetting that there’s a revealing string trailing after. It’s either that or complete ineptitude.

Moral: Look at the email thread trailing below your screen before you hit the forward button.

Not only did Joe lose the deal. He also lost my respect for his business acumen…and my trust.