I caught myself in the act of being both a chicken and a hypocrite the other day. A double-whammy. I’m telling you about it in case you can relate, and maybe even benefit.

My client Gary Jones and I are gearing up for our next upcoming talk at a big HR conference. Our topic is how to deliver bad news and build trust at the same time. One of the best practices we’ll share is the Three-Question Transparency Test, which I’m realizing I’ve never directly shared with you.

My co-author, Charlie Green, and I are celebrating 10 years of partnership this month. You may have watched our little Jib-Jab samba. You may have even sent me a congratulatory message via LinkedIn—in which case, there’s a good chance what I say next is going to either offend you or sound ungrateful or both.

I got to travel stand-by the other day. My experience was a happy one: I made the flight and got home at 7pm instead of midnight—hooray. It reminded me, though, of a time I witnessed three stand-by passengers whose experience was crappy, not happy. And I share it because it’s an important lesson for all of us to be mindful about what we say when we have to deliver bad news.

You might remember when I wrote about the trust lessons we can all learn from a series of distinctive greeting cards for cancer patients. They were developed by Emily McDowell, an artist and cancer survivor, who found a way to bring levity, honesty, and genuine empathy to bear in the face of sickness and suffering.

Last week’s post about role models, and the ways they help us have the courage to stand out, reminded me of an airline magazine article about Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts.

You know what it’s like, when you happily run into someone you haven’t seen in a while? I saw a guy named John Dunn recently and it was like that.

I grew up professionally in a world where knowing stuff was paramount (IT consulting) and I continue to live in a world where the same is true (professional services).

It’s not new to any of us that decision-making—others’ or our own—isn’t the rational, logical process we all so desperately wish. “People buy with their hearts and rationalize with their heads” is an age-old sales adage.

I owe this tip to my co-author, Charlie Green, and the great thinking he’s done on how buyers actually buy professional services.