The nail in the shoe

What makes some people persevere and not quit when the going gets tough? Is this the paradigm of nature versus nurture, or is there something else which can be a predictor of future success?

In the endless search for quality call center agents, one guide or lead indicator for perseverance is the nail-in-the-shoe test. As this career is often very repetitive and not always well received by the prospect, it takes a special kind of person to stay long enough to at least get 500 hours under the belt. We’re not talking about Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 genius hours here, but enough that the agent gets sufficient experience and confidence to take it to the next level.

Otherwise known as having a story-of-struggle, it’s important to try and unpack whether there have been trying times in their past. Now 99% of people you’ll encounter will tick this box, but the important differentiator is finding out whether they rose above it. What did they learn and take from that particular experience or time period? Are they still using this as an excuse of “poor old me” and holding them back, or has this been an ignition point of motivation for them?
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By using this as one of your arrows in your quiver, you may well improve your hit rate of finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

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