Whenever you do business with people, a lot of people think it is silly when you tell them this but surprisingly a lot of deals and business relationships are established in a completely non business like environment. This can hold true for non business related issues as well like say people trying to find a good partner. It’s interesting to see the different things that people do to try and expose a person’s true character because it could be that they don’t want to associate with someone who is say very cheap, has completely different values and so fourth.
Some people find it a little offensive when they learn that they are being tested so to speak while others have a “you are who you are†approach as they don’t need to pretend to be someone who they are not. Here are some of ways that I have personally seen or have been told on how people try to evaluate others:
1) Do An Activity That Requires Composure
I guess golf would be an example of this as I have seen a lot of deals and contracts go through at a golf course. Some people told me that they believe the way someone composes themselves in golf, since it requires a lot of control and concentration, will directly tell you how they handle things in general. For example, if they tend to just hit the ball without really thinking ahead or trying to figure out possible obstacles that they would do the same in business.
2) Dine Out With The Person
This would definitely be a more universal thing I’d say. The interesting thing is how people perceive certain actions in different ways. One person told me that the action that a person takes when it comes to paying the bill says a lot on how they manage finance, their consideration for others and to determine if the person is just plain cheap or frugal when it comes to money. Some people when they look at the bill are considerate as they don’t want others to pay too much if they obviously spent more themselves. So the assumption would be that the person would be a good team player as an example.
3) Make The Person Lose In A Competitive Event
This one is so true I think. People completely change when they lose in something which in my opinion can show a lot about one’s loyalty, honesty and attitude in life. I’ve even seen people use something simple such as a video game as a test. For example, some people love the game when they are able to continually beat others but when the tables turn all of a sudden it is the worst game in the world. That can demonstrate how they would be in say a business environment as well where when things are going great they are your best friend. When things are going bad, they do a complete flip and just give up.
4) See How They Act Around Kids
I was kind of surprised when someone told me this as I can’t imagine someone not getting a bit goofy or smiley when they are around kids. Basically though, how one acts is suppose to show their willingness to be vulnerable at times. Many see that being like a piece of stone in that scenario demonstrates one’s level of confidence in themselves and whether or not they always need say a book to tell them what to do when it comes to interacting with others.
There are probably a lot of other things that people do, but these are the most common things that I see. I like the reaction where some people say “can’t we do anything anymore without being evaluated in some way?†I guess if it is a big decision though that you want to try your best to make sure that the person who you will be associating with is really who they say they are.
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