Persistence: Use these sample phrases to craft meaningful performance evaluations, drive change and motivate your workforce.

Persistence is the refusal to give up or let go of a firm or obstinate continuous course of action despite difficulties or opposition that you may face.

Persistence: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

  • Sets a goal that can reasonably be accomplished and sets a realistic time frame
  • Perceives failure as the key to thriving, learns from it and uses it to spur one's next attempt
  • Avoids quitting at the first sign of difficulty; treats challenges as something to make one stronger and more compassionate
  • Examines the situations that might be leading to failure and works towards improving these situations
  • Is not afraid to receive a piece of constructive criticism on how to do things more efficiently
  • Learns what doesn't work and what isn't worth persisting with and tries new ways to achieve one's goals
  • Restores one's sense of purpose by remembering own vision when the going gets tough or when one wants to drop it all
  • Continuously makes requests and refusals in order to enable colleagues to know what one wants clearly without any embellishment
  • Always makes eye contact when restating a request or refusal
  • Keeps a positive mental attitude even when faced with defeat and failures

Persistence: Meets Expectations Phrases

  • Writes down one's goals in a place that one can see it regularly and is specific about the results one wants to achieve
  • Listens carefully and learns from the advice given by colleagues, customers, and competitors on how to improve one's approach towards a certain goal
  • Makes a clear statement of how one feels, without becoming angry, irritated or defensive, no matter the number of times one has to repeat oneself
  • Listens carefully to what the other person has to compromise and only offer what one can, without feeling resentful or used up
  • Is specific; states with clarity the exact thing that one wants to be done or what one is refusing to do
  • Keeps one's thoughts focused on taking action towards own goals and avoids negative thoughts that ruin one's concentration
  • Works with people who have positive mental attitude and avoids listening to cynical advice and pessimistic colleagues
  • Upholds discipline and good habits in order to stay in the course even when faced with difficult situations
  • Continues on without being affected by what others think about oneself, or without being appreciated by other colleagues
  • Welcomes change and new ideas and continues looking for ways that one can incorporate these into one's life

Persistence: Needs Improvement Phrases

  • Is tied into one's ego and is not quickly willing to admit when something is not working
  • Is not committed to lifelong learning; does not learn new skills and patterns that will help increase chances of success
  • Does not have a goal or vision in mind that motivates and drives oneself
  • Lacks the motivation to keep on trying when one fails to accomplish a goal
  • Works alone and does not seek advice from colleagues or people who have accomplished the same goals
  • Sets a goal without a reason and purpose thus loses focus easily
  • Avoids taking on long projects or tasks for fear of not completing them on time
  • Believes that good colleagues somehow are just smarter, or find tasks and projects easier than one does
  • Stops working whenever one feels bad about a goal thus never achieves them
  • Is not confident in one's own abilities thus, loses interest to keep trying

Persistence: Self Evaluation Questions

  • Is there a time when you have faced a difficult situation? What ways did you use to sustain your ability to keep on going until the situation was fixed?
  • Can you describe a time when you were given a project that had an impossible deadline? How did you manage to complete the project in time?
  • How do you motivate your team members to remain persistent? Can you give an example of a time when this was practical?
  • How do you show persistence in the workplace? Describe a situation that has forced you to remain persistent at work
  • Describe a time when your manager put pressure on you. Did you handle the pressure as well as you would have loved to?
  • What has been your greatest failure? What would you do differently next time to ensure success?
  • Can you describe a situation where you had to use persistence in order to successfully convince a customer to buy a product?
  • Is there a time you have persuaded your manager to accept an idea that you knew he/she would not like? What resistance did you meet and how did you overcome it?
  • What have you done in the past to become successful in achieving your goals?
  • What have you done to develop the inner energy that keeps you going when facing tough situations at work?

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