TECHNIQUES FOR EVALUATING CHARACTER II

Ted Giola, music critic and author wrote:

‘My 8 Best Techniques for Evaluating Character’
(Continued from yesterday’s Journal entry)

5. Identify what irritates people the most in others—because this is probably the trait they dislike most in themselves.
The flaw people hate most in others is usually their own greatest weakness.

6. Can they listen?
When you encounter people in any kind of setting, from professional to social, they can choose to (1) talk, (2) listen, or (3) do neither. I have far more confidence in group 1 than 3, but group 2 is the rarest—I’ve met few great listeners in my entire life.

7. If they cheat at small things, they will cheat at big things.
Watch out for the small things, and the big things will take care of themselves.

8. Watch how they handle unexpected problems
But if you’re around somebody long enough you will see how they deal with unexpected problems. And those situations are precisely when their character and core values come to the forefront.

Giola comments, I should add one last point.
These aren’t just useful in evaluating other people. You can use these same techniques on yourself.

Perhaps the character you need to assess is your own. I take that idea seriously, although it’s sometimes painful to use these evaluative methods on myself. But that, my friends, might be the most useful piece of advice of them all,” wrote Giola.

“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.” Jesus