I was thinking the other day as there was a person who was really pushing me to help him and his friend start up a business before but from what I did know about him he didn’t seem to be a person that followed through with ambitions and so I felt it would ultimately be waste of time. He did try and reassure me that they would create something with a few weeks to show they are serious, but I still decided to hold off. Sure enough, literally months went by and he just kept making excuses on why they haven’t done anything.
Usually people would think there is no way to know if someone will be say a bad business partner unless you actually venture into something with them. But funny enough I have always found that how one conducts themselves with simple hobbies can give a very good picture on how they would be overall. For example, playing something as simply as a sport in a tournament can easily show one’s work ethic and determination such as if they attend every session while trying their best versus no-showing frequently. Or as well, depending on if they win or lose how they react to that says a lot as well. I remember one person when he lost he literally freaked out like a child and started threatening people. Can you imagine what he is like when something goes bad in a business?
It’s hard not to show one’s authentic personality in these types of situation. I remember another example where I went hiking with a group of people and no one really had any first-hand experience on how easy or difficult it would be. But, we did it anyways and half way through the trip some people were getting exhausted and it was asked if people were okay to continue. There was one person who didn’t want to give up since we went so far already and she even tried to motive others to do so. We did eventually make it and that one moment showed me she would be good in running a business. Sure enough, she did actually have her own business and was doing well. Not a coincidence I felt based on that scenario.
So the next time you are unsure about working with certain people these can be simple ways to give a better picture on the type of personality you are dealing with.