Michael Zey
futurist3000@aol.com
The study, conducted by Epstar Inc., covered several companies in four industries. Among the results are that sales people generally all possess the trait of competitiveness, but the difference between top and poor performers is drive or sense of urgency. See www.epstar.com .
"These are inherent behavioral traits," says Bob Epstein who monitored the results using established psychometric testing involving mental abilities, interests and behavioral traits. In a large consulting firm, 80% of the top performers had the drive and 80% of the poor performers did not, he added.
In the banking industry, the difference in business development people was not drive, but being reactive. In a study of radio stations, the difference actually was competitiveness, but coupled with a high need to be in control.
The results show that companies may miss key traits of candidates being considered for hire, Epstein added. You don't see these things in an interview or a resume, but using this data, technology allows these traits to be measured at little cost and with consistent accuracy.
"When we purchase a car, we receive a manual. There is no manual on human beings, says Epstein.
As an example of the drive trait, Epstein makes a comparison. A salesperson is traveling home at the end of a long day. The good-drive is thinking, "What can I do tomorrow to make this sale happen?" The low-drive is thinking, "What's for dinner?"
With this information, Epstein says companies can make hiring decisions with more confidence, allowing them to predict before making a hiring decision that a person would or would not be successful in their company in that specific job. This could lead to a tremendous savings in time, energy and dollars.
Epstein says turnover is often overlooked in corporations because it does not appear in balance sheets or profit-loss statements. This is a huge expense that is severely lacking in attention and needs to be addressed.
SOURCE Epstar Inc.
CO: Epstar Inc.
ST: California
SU:
Web site: www.epstar.com
www.prnewswire.com
10/23/2003 05:04 EDT
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