🧭 Creating Your "Character Compass"
Learn from her mistakes: A Story of Sarah Sotherland showing how to navigate Your relationships with confidence
Now imagine you have a compass that instead of pointing north, always shows you the true character of people around you.
How much simpler would your decisions be in your personal and professional relationships?
While we don't have magical devices, we can develop a "character compass" — a personal methodology for better understanding those we interact with, which allows us to make decisions that enhance our lives and careers.
Building a character compass isn’t about judging others harshly or jumping to conclusions; it's about gathering insights that help us navigate relationships more effectively.
Let's explore how you can develop this crucial skill:
1. The Tale of Sarah and her Startup
Sarah Sotherland, a budding entrepreneur, was eager to find a business partner for her new fintech startup.
She met Tom at a networking event. Tom was charismatic, spoke eloquently about his past ventures, and seemed like the perfect match for Sarah’s startup vision.
However, Sarah remembered her Father’s (sol) advice: "Time reveals all character."
Instead of rushing into a partnership, Sarah proposed a short-term collaborative project with Tom to observe, assess and learn his work ethics, problem-solving skills, and respect for others under pressure.
Can Tom be trusted?
Throughout the project, Sarah noticed Tom often promised more than he could deliver and blamed external factors for delays and errors.
He also treated the development team condescendingly when things went wrong.
This trial project acted as Sarah's character compass, revealing more about the character of Tom than initial meetings ever could.
Ultimately, Sarah decided against partnering with him, a decision that saved her from wasted time, capital and future turmoil.
Listening to What Isn’t Said
Listening isn’t just about hearing words; it’s about noticing what isn’t said.
Sarah Sotherland unfortunately learned this the hard way.
She once hired a candidate based on his impressive resume and confident interview responses.
However, she overlooked his vague answers about past team conflicts. Even with her previous experience, she couldn't overcome her bias.