Perseverance

The ability to hold on to views and plans of action despite adversity.

does not give up when problems arise
goes on until it becomes clear a goal cannot be achieved
is able to assess when to continue and when to give up on an unattainable goal

retains faith in his/her approach even if it is not immediately successful
holds on to his/her opinion even if others disagree
is not willing to compromise; holds on to his/her views
tries again and again against all odds

does not lose control when confronted with criticism or resistance
retains faith in his/her opinions, ideas, methods and proposals
does not compromise under pressure
follows professional codes of conduct even when they go against the organization's interests
is able to assess when it is no longer realistic to hold on to his/her opinion or proposal

holds on to a long term strategy once it is set
is not tempted to change his/her strategic course when circumstances change
holds on to his/her views despite resistance
holds on to his/her vision and course in times of a change
is not tempted to change his/her course under pressure even when the alternative seems attractive

Perseverance can be easily developed if the candidate has a more than average score (7,8,9) on the drive Persistence.

Could you comment on a number of problems you have encountered in order to arrive where you are now?
What has been the biggest disappointment you ever encountered in your work? How did you deal with it?
Have you ever had a good idea that nobody was really interested in? What did you do to have it implemented anyway?
Have you ever encountered a big disappointment in your work that you found hard to take? What exactly did you find difficult? How did you solve the problem?
Could you give an example of a situation in which you feel you did not persist long enough?

Try and be realistic in your planning.
Check regularly whether a set goal is still realistic and attainable.
Try and realize there is more than one way to attain your goal.
Try and continue working on a task a little longer when you feel like giving up.
Be ready for adversity.

Encourage your candidate to hold on a little longer when he feels like giving up. Try and find a possibility together to attain a set goal.
Investigate a recent situation with your candidate in which he had to and actually did achieve a goal despite adversity and resistance from others. What was the candidate’s attitude? What was the reason for success?
Ask your candidate to write down reasons that help attaining a certain goal and reasons that get in the way. Encourage him to find a way to deal with hindering reasons constructively.
Practise defining goals in a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) way with your candidate.
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