Will Mr. Papows have to step down? I'm of the opinion that the answer to this question will be based on how serious the damage is to IBM. If there are large customer defections away from Notes that can be attributed to this, (for example, if the Marine Corp drops Notes as its messaging solution because it feels betrayed) then it will probably be resume time in Cambridge again.

What lessons should you and I take away from all of this?
We all represent our companies every day of the week. As hard as it is, we need to remember that everything that we say and everything that we do reflects on our employers, our co-workers and the Domino industry as a whole. Like a pebble tossed into a pond, we never know where the ripples that we create will end up.

Credibility is one of your most important assets. It takes years or even decades to develop and can be lost in a single sentence. Always work with the facts -- it may even be preferable to under-sell yourself rather than oversell your self. People respect humility and candor -- there's not enough of it in the business world.

We all need to be realistic about our accomplishments and be satisfied with who we are. Simplistic? Perhaps, but then most of the really powerful lessons in life are the simple ones aren't they?

What do you think about all this? Where do you think it will end-up? I'd like to know your predictions.

Finally, the rest of the DominoPower team and I want to pass along our best wishes to Mr. Papows and the rest of Lotus. Obviously, there's not enough information to take sides, but nothing like this is ever easy. Hang in there, guys.

Richard Echeandia has been active in the Notes community since 1993. He is certified in R3, R4 and R5 and is currently employed by a Lotus business partner in Dallas, Texas. He can be reached on line at recheandia@dominopower.com.