Etheline Desir – Setting Yourself Apart from the Competition

Setting Yourself Apart from the Competition

Recently, I came across the concept of “passionate curiosity,” an indispensable trait, no matter the position or level in an organization. We are told that leading CEOs possess it. Essentially, it is about being awake and engaged with the world and always wanting to know more, wanting to understand better. It is a relentless quest for learning, questioning, and listening to get to know people’s stories regardless of their position — who they are, what they do; why do they do the things they do, and how did they get there.

In following these simple principles, one can set herself apart from the competitors because, before placing a call, she would have already done research on the search firms and the recruiters/consultants with whom she wants to network. When building and establishing networking relationships, curiosity will propel her to keep in touch regularly, always completing the loop on conversations—keeping people informed of her progress and exhibiting a natural curiosity about market intelligence. She would read the stories of her most admired CEOs to understand the role perseverance and adversity played in their success stories. With such a start, upkeep and outreach, it is not surprising that she is now that much ahead of the pack.