What happens when a multimillion-dollar software project is falling apart — and the outsourced team knows exactly how to fix it, but refuses?

In this episode, we unpack the Ethics Over Rules principle from Extreme Contracts, starting with a real case study where a supplier hid behind the fine print while the client actually celebrated the failure. We break down why massive, rule-heavy contracts create a dangerous illusion of safety in knowledge work — and how confusing "legal" with "ethical" leads straight to malicious compliance.

Along the way, we explore the hidden trap of hourly billing (hint: it financially punishes your best people), a value-based pricing case study involving a major Italian publisher, and the powerful concept of capping your risk with five-day iterations instead of six-month commitments.

You'll walk away with four concrete strategies you can use in your very next client meeting — from reframing proposals around business impact to finding the real decision-maker hiding behind layers of middle management.

Extreme Contracts is a framework for negotiation and collaboration in knowledge work, by Jacopo Romei.

Learn more: extremecontracts.com
About Jacopo: jacoporomei.com

This episode includes AI-generated content.