When NOT to trust someone.
In a new personal or professional relationship, my default mode is to start with 100% trust in the other person.
Three tell-tale signs when I make an exception to this norm:
1. The person claims how good, how ethical, how caring, how blah blah blah he or she is. In matters of human character, someone trying to sell oneself is not a good sign to me.
2. The person talks about and demeans others overtly or covertly. If he can discuss others with me, most likely he would discuss me with others. Better to watch out.
3. If after the meeting I am still wondering whether to trust the person or not, I prefer to trust my instincts, not the person. This sounds harsh but mostly works. I don't write off the person based on this, just become more careful in my dealings.
This system is not fool-proof though. At times, one may still end up trusting a wrong person.
When that happens, be good enough to forgive but not stupid enough to trust the person ever again.
#Trust #leadership #management #humanresources #motivation