> Sometimes people who are actually good guys get confused for bad guys.

The bigger problem is the opposite: Really bad guys come across as good guys, with exactly the traits described in the article.

Do you have examples or references? My experience is that dishonest people usually reveal themselves in small ways, even when they get skilled at simulating positive traits.

I worked for a CEO once (Saeju Jeong from Noom) who told me early on that being a good business man was all about being a good host and a nice person. Actually working for him: he frequently didn't pay me some months, paid too little other months, stopped paying benefits like gym membership so I had to take over, promised to do important paperwork and then never did it because he hated paying the accountant and wanted to micro-manage every hourly charge. He was pretty much the cruelest boss imaginable, even though he put on a happy face and said nice things.

If you'd approach him about these things he'd say the nicest things imaginable. I still have dozens of emails about him going to fix the payment issues, going to work on paying the benefits like the gym membership again, promising to do the paperwork I needed for my wife's immigration - how all these things were important to him. You really had to push hard to actually get anything done, though. After countless emails once we made a meeting to try to work on some of these issues, but he wouldn't hold it at his desk where we could actually trigger payments like I asked, instead he insisted it be in a meeting room where he made it all about how I didn't respect him and how we had to have a happier office.

So anyway, he was always trying to setup a good relationship and happy office. Good being where everyone said super nice things, but he cheated the hell out of you in practice. It's easy to talk super nice things, and then just never follow through when it actually costs you. I guess that counts as small ways, but I'm just trying to explain people can be super nice to your face always, but still be crooks.

Sounds like your boss fell a little short of the good guy definition offered in the original post, starting with the following:

> Be as straightforward and transparent as possible;

> Don’t waste people’s time, this means saying “no” a lot vs. stringing people along;

:(

You hear so many stories of people not paid for months before their employer goes bust, ANY issue with payment (short, late, whatever) is a deal breaker for me. No second chances, no excuses, no hard feelings, just find a new job and goodbye

You point out the most important omission in the list : Act on what you say.

What sort of small ways?

Good written article, I agree with most of it, except:

> Don’t just complain or critique, offer up solutions too;

I often had the feeling that, when I got offered a solution from a good guy who's opinion I value, the usually limited time could be better spend with critique or hints.

Say I describe my solution A and solution B is offered, I don't know why she/he values B more than A.

Could be: 1) She/he knows something about A or B that I don't. 2) I know something about A or B that she/he doesn't. 3) She/he doesn't have additional knowledge. but she/he weights it differently.

In cases 1) and 3) I can hardly go ahead and implement solution B correctly. Case 2) is actually not that unlikely if I have spent a lot of time on the topic.

So if instead she/he tells me what is wrong about A or which opportunity I may exploit, I can use that info to either do B, or more often, come up with C.

Relevant point to bring that up. However notice the progression from trader to other more classically "noble" pursuits. And again, I was speaking about his (and other's) character in how they treat people, not necessarily what the stereotypical viewpoint of their profession is.