Why Transparency Creates a Clear Path to Success and How to Maintain It Collaborative partners openly share information. But what happens when one goes rogue?

Q: Partners and employees at my company are expected to pool contact information for clients and prospective clients in a database. We find that having information easily accessible maximizes partner relationships in making deals.

But some partners aren't cooperating. When my client needed confirmation of market data, I asked another partner for assistance. He confirmed the data analysis through a client he refused to name, leaving me -- and my client -- without a reference point. My partner's lack of transparency is unethical. But he's a rainmaker, and as our company's driving value is making money, other partners aren't concerned. What are my options?

A: Lack of transparency isn't the only problem here. It may be hard for other partners to see being disrespectful, evasive and withholding as a big deal when the firm is bringing in the dollars. The problem is that the incident you describe raises ethics issues that can poison the partnership and the firm's ability to sustain financial success.