Personal traits sometimes fall out of their sweet spots and cease to be helpful qualities. Take, for example, the colleague who goes out of their way to show interest in others but reveals little about themselves. His conversations feel more like interviews than dialogues. Rather than being seen as gracious, he’s at risk of being experienced as closed-off or withholding. His inclination for generosity misses its sweet spot, and its intended effect falls flat. The examples are endless. Let’s review a few.
