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24 Comments

  1. Another type to keep an eye out for is the “worker bee”. They will mostly be found in low skill or vocational type jobs. These are not your lives for Friday night types, this is the guy that never misses work does whatever needs done and goes home. They won’t be backstabbers looking to move up or trying to show up their co workers, they are usually quiet but friendly types. These people don’t want to move up or on to something bigger they crave the security of a routine that never changes, many will have been at the same job for many years making little or no more money than when they started.
    I don’t expect these people to be prepped and I don’t let them know that I am but I do cultivate a casual acquaintance with them and try to keep up with some of the things going on in their lives. If or when the time comes I can decide if and who to bring aboard. I prep for them but I’m sure their contribution in labor will be a net gain for my monetary outlay in food and supplies.
    We need thinkers and planners in our groups but I’ve been around a lot of groups that try to talk a problem to death and I’ve seen others that for a plan and roll up their sleeves and get things done. There is a lot to be said for people that you can give them a task and they just go get it done, they don’t need a lot of pats on the back they don’t need to feel like it was their idea, to them it’s just a job and they just do it.
    As someone who has managed people and organizations for years I’ve seen a lot of managers that overlook or worse look down on these people but personally I admire them, obviously not for their creativity or motivation but for their dedication, an almost stoic approach to doing a job most others couldn’t or wouldn’t.

    1. I would agree that worker bees are often overlooked and are valuable; typically, however, you don’t want people who are JUST worker bees. You would ideally want them to also have one of the other skills as well.

  2. Thanks Kit. Agree with all of it, but I think you may have omitted one…Knowledge! I’m old and somewhat broken but in my time I’ve managed to retain a lot of info that happily puts me in a lot of your categories. Summing it all up…LISTEN, THINK, DISCUSS THEN ACT. What are your thoughts?

    1. You don’t want a competitive person in your group. This personality is always working to be better, faster, stronger than everyone else. Instead of doing the best he/she can and contributing, the competitive person will sacrifice others or even the group just so he/she can be the winner. This personality is very dangerous.

      You DO want people who have experience in surviving all that life throws at them; whether it be physical, mental, emotional, financial or social stress and/or failures. These people are resilient and no matter what their age, gender, or health they will bounce back, rise to the occasion and help other people while doing it.

      1. Competitive personalities are not an automatic no-go. It depends on who they’re competing against, and what their core motivator is. If they’re the type of person you describe, who chooses to put their own personal “winning” or looking good over the goals of the group, then no, they wouldn’t be suited. Interestingly enough, however, they would fail on the basis of their own self-interest and possible narcissism, not their competitiveness.

        There are plenty of competitors who use that trait to drive them to be better people, better trained, better able to assist the group, better at everything than they were before. That’s not a bad thing; in fact, overachievers can get a lot done if their mind is in the right place.

        Competitive people can also be inspiring to the rest of the group, if they see group members as their “team” and are personally invested in that team’s success. The flip side of that is competitive folks often force the less motivated among your group to either leave or step up.

        In other words, don’t count them out right away. Use that observation time to dig into that streak and see if it’s something you can actually use in your group.

    2. I actually omitted it on purpose, and here’s why. Knowledge alone doesn’t make anyone fit to be in a group; in fact, I think we all can think of at least one person who has lots of knowledge that shouldn’t be in the group. Knowledge can be trained/gained/sought. Personality traits, character, etc., these things are more elusive. If you give me someone with zero knowledge but a strong willingness to learn and the right mindset, I can work with that. Someone who has all the knowledge in the world is worthless to me if he has poor character, thinks with his emotions, or has a temper problem, etc.

  4. This article brings forth the question, “What makes a person one who would be asked into a group?”

    Put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor.

    In your anger do not sin.

    He who has been taking from others must steal no longer but must work, doing something with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

    Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

    Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

    Be careful kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other.

    Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

    Always giving thanks to God our father for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    There’s more, but these will get you started, but more importantly get others started on track.

    May God Bless all you who love Him.

  5. Fisher, you comments are spot on. Those qualities must be present.

    I have known people for over 20 years and than finally the mask falls off and it’s stunning to realize you never knew them.

    As Apostle Paul, be of one mind and one purpose, building unity in the cause for Christ.

  6. One sure guy to recruit,if he needed you,the Macguyver type. Knows the 3 ingredients of gun powder,mixing ratio, and lots of books from the past for the way things used to be done before we got so reliant on Big Brother.

  7. As much as I like American Partisan, unfortunately I can’t copy and paste their articles in WordPad to save.
    I do this with many SB articles and go back and reread them,

    1. When you have the SurvivalBlog article opened, if you click on the little icon under the Title that looks like a printer, it will reformat the article for printing. Much easier than just copying into Notepad and you get to keep the important formatting stuff like bold, italics and even the link URLs.

  9. finding such “desireable” people is the problem!!lol.
    personally i’m with gaucho marx “I wouldn’t want to be in a group that would want me as a member”!!!!

    1. Typically people tend to look for like-minded folks in the places they themselves already are. A lot of these new people you’ll need to get creative about finding. Join your local fire department. You’ll meet some. Check out search and rescue units, churches, or even other volunteer opportunities. Don’t go into it with the idea that you’re looking to recruit people, go in with the idea that you’re looking to MEET people. Cream rises to the top if you give it time.

  10. While having all of these people in your group may be desirable, you left out the most important person. That is the person who will unflinchingly pull the trigger when and if the time comes when defense is needed.

    All the bravado in the world can go out the window when the chips are down and the fighting begins. I don’t imagine it might be too much of an issue with combat vets, but the average Joe who may have little or no skill with a weapon is the unknown factor.

    Armchair Rambo’s can quickly turn into Barney Fife’s when a crisis comes. So choose a few of these guys for the group as well.

    1. Let’s back up a second. I don’t necessarily want someone who will “unflinchingly pull the trigger.” Even people who CAN do the job when needed don’t revel in it. They do it because it must be done. I want someone who values life enough to understand that taking one is a big deal — EVEN IF it’s a necessary act. I don’t want someone who will fall apart rather than do it, but I also don’t want someone who is quite open about how much fun they would have if they could “kill a bunch of ______.”

      Most of the people I have met who tell you all about how unflinching they would be are either not mentally stable, or they’re lying cowards. Those who CAN do it, don’t need to brag about it. As you said, Armchair Rambos are all talk and often can’t back up their mouths.

      For the most part, you can suss out those who would fail in the observation phase by simply looking at how they handle stress, anger, pressure, etc. In truth, however, no one knows exactly how they will react in a life-or-death self-defense situation until they are in one. And again, mental training is at LEAST as important as training in firearms. I don’t care how well you shoot, if your mind is weak.

      1. “In truth, however, no one knows exactly how they will react in a life-or-death self-defense situation until they are in one. And again, mental training is at LEAST as important as training in firearms. I don’t care how well you shoot, if your mind is weak.”

        Thank you, Kit.
        I hope that I would be able to shoot in a time of stress and danger, but I won’t know until I’ve “been there, done that”, in order to protect self, family, friends, society. That little 5 pounds of trigger pull can have tons of unintended consequences.

  11. Great article. An extension of the “Critical Thinker” category is to seek someone who is analytical by nature; someone that will give you an unemotional, unvarnished assessment of the facts that you have at hand, including risks and benefits. A general categorization would be “problem solvers,” including engineers, research professionals, etc.

  12. When I hear someone say ” I feel ” I immediately back off. When I hear ” I think ” then I pay attention. Emotions are great but analytical thinking trumps feelings. Thank you Spock.

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