Daily writing prompt

Are you a good judge of character?

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I form first impressions based on what I see and hear. Sometimes the red flags are plainly visible. My time as a clergy person allowed me to hone those skills a bit, but I wouldn’t want the job of Personnel Director or work for a SVU or the FBI as an interrogator. I might be able to smell a rat or know when someone is simply full of themselves, or when a grandchild is outright lying about eating their vegetables.

When I think of a good judge of character, I’m thinking of a seasoned veteran like the ones on any good cop show (they must exist in real life), or maybe a CIA operative or a prosecutor who does their homework and persists in exposing the bad guy because they trust the evidence or have an educated hunch.

One could argue that there was a paucity of good judgment in light of the results of the 2024 Presidential election.

Daily writing prompt

Are you a good judge of character?

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There might still be a bit of spidey sense happening, or at least first impressions made, but I’m retired and don’t usually spend time with anyone other than people I choose to spend time with. Apart from the occasional door-to-door salesperson, I don’t have opportunity or reason to have to size anyone up. Ok, salespeople and political candidates.

In my years as a pastor, I became somewhat astute at being able to tell who the troublemakers were going to be– the occasional backbiter, chronic complainer, saboteur, and passive aggressive type who made life more interesting, i.e aggravating, than it needed to be. But it’s not like I could fire parishioners (technically, I could, but there was a process involving me and members of the congregation, and the infraction would have to be grievous). Most often, we had to learn to coexist, try to be Christ-like.

When it came to our small staffs, deficiencies sometimes emerged. I had to be responsive and caring, and on rare occasions had to have conversations and be part of decisions that were difficult but necessary.

Most parish pastors wear a lot of hats, but I don’t think I would have made a very good personnel director.