Humorist Kellie Ketcham, who offers us here a light look at the serious subject of business ethics, is the author of Advancing Backward. She offers "common sense with curiosity and good advice with crazy hair."

Like you, I research things online. I'm trying to expand my knowledge base and tune my "is this a pile of crap?" monitor. And I've discovered many businesses and other online sources show a lack of filtering, honesty or what we once called "Ethics." Don't get me wrong, I love a good old fashioned rant, where one will "make it up as you go." But I'm a writer – a small business person (a VERY small business, as it's just one person, which I have to tell you makes the games at the company picnic excruciatingly boring). For us small business people, it's important to show integrity in our work. I would say imperative, but that's more of a direct order, and this is definitely a plea.

The one in charge doesn't usually want bad news. Sometimes kings would kill the one who brought the bad tidings. So one of the historical functions of the King's Fool is that of passing on the news that nobody else would dare. In the mask of the jester, the Fool would bring up the questions that would otherwise never arise from any of the King's "yes people."

Because of the Fool's relative immunity from capital punishment, and because of the Fool's common use of humor and symbolism to express truth and possible outcomes, the Fool would be entrusted with something from almost everyone around - and would in turn give the King something to think about, while leaving everyone else anonymous.

My first job out of college, on my first day of work, I arrived to a desk empty save for a foot-high stack of manuals and a note from the man who was to be my mentor, saying he would be on vacation the next two weeks, and that I was to try to familiarize myself with the material in the manuals. I guess you'd say I was a bit put out, given how green I was - but I wasn't going to complain, no sirree. I was there to do the job. And I was afraid of complaining. LOL