That is my approach as well, in many things in life - with one caveat that depending on size of company, it may not have anything to do with a working relations

That is my approach as well, in many things in life - with one caveat that depending on size of company, it may not have anything to do with a working relationship. In a small company, interviewing with your potential boss, I think being upfront and honest is worthwhile and a good litmus to see how they respond to that. In a very large company where you are negotiating with a dedicated HR recruiter, it's a very different process. They will never ever talk to you again after you sign on the dotted line, and have a very different, very narrow set of parameters to work within - and may indeed have expectations that go with that focused role: i.e. a team lead would expect you to be upfront and productive; but a car salesperson or a real estate salesperson would expect you to haggle and negotiate. Not saying I like that, or that I enjoy the prospect or process, but it benefits to be cognizant of the nature of process and expectations.