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Curiosity Taught the Cat

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6568523“An endless trail of ideas floats in the ether. You will only see them if you are curious.” I read this in The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness book all Ogilvy employees know and love. It got me thinking about curiosity—one of David Ogilvy’s eight habits. Is curiosity an important skill to have in the healthcare communications field?

They say curiosity killed the cat, but I believe curiosity taught the cat (plus, don’t cats have nine lives?). From interning at Ogilvy CommonHealth in the summer of 2014, I can see why curiosity is a must skill to have. In the rapidly changing healthcare field, there are so many aspects to be familiar with. For starters, healthcare reform is constantly changing with new laws and regulations. The pharma market is always evolving with new drugs and medications for patients. Also, the aging population is causing shifts in the demand for certain drugs, devices, and medications. There is always something new you have to keep your eye on in this field, so unless you have the curiosity, you are likely to miss current trends in the healthcare field.

Curiosity as a student

Curiosity helps people grow. In college, I’ve learned that curiosity is best practiced by taking chances. Each semester I believe it is important to take a course that is unrelated to a major or minor. It helps students think outside of the box and get a different understanding about various topics. I’ve noticed that the students who take chances like this in college are the ones who build a well-rounded background.

Curiosity at Ogilvy CommonHealth

I believe being curious is important at Ogilvy CommonHealth too. However, instead of just giving my reasoning, I will share the viewpoints of two others here at Ogilvy:

Jamie Fishman, senior account executive in Payer Marketing, believes we can’t be proactive in this evolving market or even provide value to our clients if we are not curious. There is a difference, however, between being proactive and being curious. Jamie states that questioning or looking into what is known is being proactive, while questioning or looking into what is unknown… that is true curiosity. When we research our clients and understand their industry, we are able to be ahead of the game to serve our clients the best. Jamie stays curious by reading about the work she is involved in and sharing articles with others in order to spark their curiosity. It is no surprise that she believes it is an important skill as well.

Jenita McDaniel, EVP director of operations in Payer Marketing, takes the importance of curiosity a step further. “The people that are curious change the world,” she said, “if our ancestors were not curious, we would not even be here.” It goes to show how brilliant minds are curious. In fact, if our ancestors were not curious, would they have taken risks to explore new life? Would they expand their knowledge to explore the world? Jenita also believes great ideas stem from curiosity; it helps us understand our clients and serve them to the best of our ability. Additionally, Jenita went on to say that curiosity is about taking chances, and those who are curious constantly push the envelope.

I’ll end by sharing a few tips I’ve learned from Jamie and Jenita to help you be more curious:

  1. Read. A lot.
  2. Share what you read with others. Including clients!
  3. Ask questions.
  4. Learn (from any opportunity).
  5. Teach.

I’m sure the more these five tips are practiced, the more curious you’ll become, thus achieving greater results, enhancing intellectual growth, and practicing professionalism.

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION:
Questions? Comments? You can contact the author directly at
blog@ochww.com.
Please allow 24 hours for response.

The post Curiosity Taught the Cat appeared first on Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Blog.


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