It’s been awhile since we had to issue a Peak Performance ”Mountain Top Tip,” but something I saw yesterday demanded a brief commentary this morning.

For those of you who watched the new Fox Reality TV Show Moment of Truth you probably already know where I’m going with this.

The show itself is exactly as Matt Roush from the TV Guide described it, “Who with a brain or a soul could do anything but despise Fox’s new bottom-of-the-reality-barrel-time-waster, which turned out to be as dull as it was degrading. Welcome to the latest blood-curdling and soul-numbing example of how eager Fox’s reality division is to debase people for fun and profit.”

If you’re not familiar with the show the concept is simple.

Strap a willing (gullible?) contestant to a chair on stage, hook them up to a lie-detector machine and proceed to ask them VERY PERSONAL and PRIVATE questions - - in front of loved ones and/or important people in their life let alone a live studio audience.

The more questions you answer truthfully, the more money you can win. However, if the polygraph judges that you’re lying you lose everything.

Sadly, the contestants who took part last night may lose more than just some prize money.

Let’s look at one particular individual. During last night’s premier episode, George brought along his uncle, girlfriend and boss.

The first question he was asked revealed that he had gone through another co-workers personal belongings without them knowing. A few questions later this guy even admitted that he has a gambling problem (and previews for next week’s episode show him being confronted with the question of whether or not he gambled away the college fund of one of his children!).

Nice job George.

Maybe it’s just me, but why in the world would you subject yourself to this type of humiliation all for the mere POTENTIAL to win some money?

In George’s case, he may have talked his way to the unemployment office too because what sane, competent boss could sit there and hear one of his employees admit that he not only has a gambling problem, but that he’s gone through the personal belongings of others at work?

I’ll admit that the idea of having candidates (and Hiring Managers) hooked up to a polygraph during an interview is appealing although highly unlikely any time soon.

I guess this just proves what we already know. People will do anything for money.

Whether it’s lying on a Resume and/or during an interview to get the job or telling the truth no matter how despicable it will be done if people think they can benefit financially from it.

MOUNTAIN TOP TIP #13: USE COMMON SENSE. THINK BEFORE YOU ACT AND DEFINITELY THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK! THIS IS CRITICAL IN SALES AND ESPECIALLY DURING AN INTERVIEW. THERE’S A REASON WHY THE SAYING “DON’T PUT YOUR FOOT IN YOUR MOUTH” IS A COMMON SAYING.

YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE MORE MONEY IN THE SHORT TERM, BUT MAKING LIFE-ALTERING DECISIONS (I.E. CAREER DECISIONS) BASED SOLELY ON COMPENSATION IS NEVER WISE.

OH YEAH, AND WHATEVER YOU DO PLEASE DON’T WATCH THIS SHOW! I WANT FOX TO GIVE ME THAT HOUR BACK!