Ted Gioia in Swahili: His 8 Best Techniques for Evaluating Character (#7 and #8 of 8 total) plus Conclusion
"But that, my friends, might be the most useful piece of advice of them all."
[Scroll down for the English]
KISWAHILI
8 Mbinu Bora za Ted Gioia Kutathmini Sifa ya Mtu Fulani (#7 and #8 of 8 kwa jumla) Pamoja na Umalizio
“Ninatakia mtu angeniambia mambo haya nilipokuwa mdogo. Sasa ninazitumia ninapohitaji kupata tathmini ya watu ambao siwafahamu vyema bila kukawia….
#7 Kama wadanganye vitu vidogo, watadanganya vitu vikubwa.
“Hivi majuzi nilimsikia mwanamume akilalamika kuhusu mpango mbaya wa kibiashara. Mwenzake alikuwa amemwibia, na alipaswa kujua vizuri zaidi.
"Walipokutana kwa mara ya kwanza, walikuwa wamecheza gofu. Baadaye mke wake alimwambia: ‘Nilimwona akisogeza mpira wakati hukutazama—usijihusishe na mtu huyu.’ Alikuwa amecheka juu ya hili. Kwa nini uwe na wasiwasi kuhusu jambo dogo kama hili? Ni inchi chache tu kwenye uwanja wa gofu.
"Lakini, bila shaka, ikiwa mtu atavunja sheria kwa kitu lisicho muhimu kama mchezo fulani, atafanya nini wakati mapato makubwa yanahusika?
“Usifanye kosa hilo. Jihadharini na mambo madogo, na makubwa yatajishughulikia yenyewe.”
#8 Angalia jinsi wanavyoshughulikia matatizo yasiyotarajiwa.
"Nilisikia juu ya mbinu ya kipekee inayotumiwa na kampuni kuajiri mtendaji mkuu. Katika duru ya mwisho ya mahojiano, waomba hupelekwa kwa chakula cha mchana, na mara ya chakula kuna kitu kitaenda vibaya—bila shaka, haya yote yanafanywa kama aina ya mtihani.
"Labda mtu anatembea kwenye meza na kuunda tukio, au labda chakula kinachotolewa kwenye meza siyo sahihi kabisa. Madhumuni ni kuona jinsi mwomba anavyoshughulikia hali hiyo. Utafeli jaribio ikiwa utaitikia kwa kupita kiasi (kwa mfano, kuunda tukio kubwa zaidi mwenyewe) au kuitikia kwa kadiri pungufu (k.m., kuacha tu mambo yasiwe na udhibiti bila jibu lo lote).
“Marafiki zangu wa muziki wa jazz wataelewa mara moja thamani ya aina hii ya jaribio. Huwezi kujua jinsi mtu anavyotunga wimbo papo hapo hadi awekwe katika hali ambayo kufanya maamuzi ya hiari ya kujitokeza kunahitajika. Baadhi ya watu kufanikiwa kwenye tukio, na wengine kupoteza usawa wao kabisa.
"Siyo sote tunaweza kuandaa onyesho baya kwenye mgahawa ili kujaribu mtu. Lakini ikiwa uko karibu na mtu kwa muda wa kutosha utaona jinsi anavyoshughulikia shida zisizotarajiwa. Na ni hali hizo hasa kwamba tabia zao na maadili yao ya msingi kuwa dhariri.”
[Ted anahitimisha:]
“Niongeze pointi ya mwisho.
"Hizi zisizofaa tu kutathmini watu wengine. Unaweza kutumia mbinu hii kwa yako mwenyewe. Je, unawatendea watu huduma kwa heshima? Je, unaweza kushughulikia matatizo na usumbufu bila kukasirika? Je, unaaminika katika mambo madogo? Na kadhalika.
"Pengine tabia unayohitaji kutathmini ni yako mwenyewe. Ninachukulia wazo hilo kwa uzito, ingawa wakati mwingine ni chungu kutumia njia hizi za tathmini juu yangu mwenyewe. Lakini huo, marafiki wangu, unaweza kuwa ushauri muhimu kuliko wote.”
[Asante Ted for kwa kunipa ruhusa ya kutafsiri hii!]
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Ted Gioia’s 8 Best Techniques for Evaluating Character (#7 and #8 of 8 total)
“I wish somebody had told me these things when I was younger. I now practice them when I need to get a fast assessment of people I don’t know well….
#7 If they cheat at small things, they will cheat at big things.
“I recently heard a man complaining about a bad business deal. His partner had robbed him, and he should have known better.
“When they first met, they had played golf. Afterwards his wife told him: “I saw him move the ball when you weren’t looking—don’t get involved with this guy.” He had laughed at this. Why get worked up over a tiny thing like this? It’s just a few inches on the golf course.
“But, of course, if someone will break the rules for something as unimportant as a game, what will they do when higher stakes are involved?…
“Don’t make that mistake. Watch out for the small things, and the big things will take care of themselves.”
#8 Watch how they handle unexpected problems
“I heard of a peculiar technique used by a company hiring a senior executive. In the final round of interviews, the candidates are taken to lunch, and during the meal something goes wrong—of course, this is all staged as a kind of test.
“Maybe someone walks up to the table and creates a scene, or perhaps the food delivered to the table is completely wrong. The purpose is to see how the candidate handles the situation. You fail the test if you over-react (for example, causing a scene yourself) or under-react (e.g., just letting things get out of control with no response).
“My jazz musician friends will immediately understand the value of this kind of test. You can’t tell how a person improvises until they are put into a situation where spontaneous decision-making is required. Some people rise to the occasion, and others lose their cool completely.
“Not all of us can stage a restaurant mishap to test somebody. But if you’re around somebody long enough you will see how they deal with unexpected problems. And those situations are precisely when their character and core values come to the forefront.”
[Ted concludes:]
“I should add one last point.
“These aren’t just useful in evaluating other people. You can use these same techniques on yourself. Do you treat service people fairly? Can you handle problems and inconveniences without overreacting? Are you trustworthy in small things? Etc.
“Perhaps the character you need to assess is your own. I take that idea seriously, although it’s sometimes painful to use these evaluative methods on myself. But that, my friends, might be the most useful piece of advice of them all.”
[Thank you, Ted, for the permission to translate this!]
KISWAHILI: Asante na tutaonana tena,
Mmerikani
ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Thank you and may we see each other again,
Mmerikani
Chanzo (source): Gioia, Ted. “My 8 Best Techniques for Evaluating Character.” The Honest Broker on Substack (January 18, 2023). Accessed March 20, 2024. https://www.honest-broker.com/p/my-8-best-techniques-for-evaluating.
This reminds me of a poster that a colleague had on his office door at the uni: “Do the right thing, even if no one is looking.”