Someone once shared with me how they assessed people, and it's stayed with me for years. They would simply ask four questions:
Do I like you?
Do I respect you?
Would I recommend you for a job?
Would I follow you into a fire?
The answer doesn't need to be Yes to all four questions all the time, of course. Just the one that's most important at the moment.
Photos: Hug by Peter Dutton. Salute by Michael Fletcher. Graduation by Germanna C.C.. Firefighters by Andrew Magill.