We’re social and tribal, we humans. And making assessments, judgments and forming opinions is part of the supple cloth that we weave in our relationships, in how we perceive things, and our perspectives on the world.

So, how do you figure out if you wanna hang with someone? If you want to do business with a company? How do you assess what they stand for, what they are aiming for, what lens they view the world through?
In talking with Rachel, this 2×2 emerged…

• Is it about the self? or the quest?
  It’s amazing how quickly this comes out in conversation with others, in ads, in brand messages, in the random comments people make. It’s one of our best human traits: we can usually get the flavor of a thing quickly.
• Is it going towards the light? or wallowing in the dark? How positive is someone? Optimistic? Or gloomy? Expecting a bright future, or happy when things fail?

Companies are somewhere on this grid. Your friends are somewhere on this grid. Steve Jobs is somewhere on this grid.

And you’re somewhere on this grid. Where are you?