There is a well-known phrase in the Declaration of Independence, which reads, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This passage outlines our ability to pursue goals, chase dreams, and enjoy the thrill of achieving a personal best—an ideal that captures the essence of life.
At Morunda, we pursue market mastery. We aim to dominate the pharmaceuticals field by developing relationships with every company, marketer, medical doctor, and clinical development professional in the industry; it’s an ongoing task, yet this drive and pursuit of excellence sets us apart.
Market mastery takes grit. A TED talk by Sara Lewis, an art historian, aptly described it as to “embrace the near win” and “constantly wanting to close the gap of where you are and where you want to be.” We live in a world that elevates the trappings of success and avoids examining the tears and disappointments of mastery.
Success in recruiting is presenting the client with a dynamic short list of candidates in three weeks and closing the position in six. While this achievement hits it out of the park, it means nothing unless you can do it again and again and again.
My ex-colleague Anthony Huynh started his recruiting career with a number of rejected offers. Rather than quitting and walking away, he picked himself up and continued to place more than 100 calls a day, which turned disappointment into sales. Anthony understood that short-term pain and disappointment fuel the recruiting engine to help one achieve his or her personal best. Achieving goals requires taking pleasure in small victories and getting excited about seemingly trivial accomplishments while continuing to push for daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Mastery comes from knowing that the tapestry of life consists of missteps and false starts.
Mastery also includes knowing that there is no finish line. Realistically, we’ll never have a relationship with every company and candidate in Asia, and our clients won’t find cures for every disease known to humankind. Yet, the pursuit of mastery begets excellence.
Mastery is in the spirit of William Ernest Henley’s poem Invictus, “In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance. My head is bloody, but unbowed.”
The next time you stumble, take a minute to smile, give thanks, and raise the bar a quarter of an inch; know that, next time, you will fly.
