Ability to regulate emotions is a big one. If a person has a propensity to get fits of anger, or to become suddenly cold/unempathetic, or other emotions that seem disproportional to the situation… those point at trauma.

Another is addictions: drugs and alcohol of course, but also more subtle addictions like food, work, even working out. It’s tricky because you don’t want to pathologize every person, or dismiss uncomfortable truths because the messenger has a different lifestyle than yours. But yeah I try to at least consider these factors.

Reply to this note

Please Login to reply.

Discussion

I think everything you’re saying is 💯 true but often much more concealed in business or at the very least takes time and situations to come out. So not necessarily clear for when hiring someone as an SME.

I feel you… I have misjudged people many times in the past, because of my own blind spots. And oftentimes these issues only reveal themselves over time. “Trust everyone, check everything” is a heuristic I’ve heard use by a business once 😄