For the last 15 years, William Vanderbloemen has run an executive search firm that helps non-profit organizations find leaders. Over the course of conducting tens of thousands of interviews with top-tier candidates, he's tracked and recorded what qualities the best leaders — the people he calls "unicorns" — possess that set them apart from everyone else in the field.

William shares what he's learned in his new book Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits That Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. Today we talk about what some of those twelve distinguishing habits are, and how people can use them to move ahead at work, as well as improve their relationships outside of it. We discuss the nearly 100% difference it can make in your business to respond to people right away, the least common trait among unicorns that the general population mistakenly believes they have in spades, how mastering the art of anticipation will make you stand out, a way to use eye contact to build strong connection, and much more.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• AoM Article: The Myth of Scarcity — 12 Stupidly Easy Things That’ll Set You Apart from the Pack
• AoM Podcast #865: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century
• AoM Article: How to Make Eye Contact the Right Way in Life, Business, and Love
• AoM Podcast #644: How to Develop Greater Self-Awareness
• AoM Article: The Best Kind of Leader to Be
• NYT article: "What Do You Do With the Brilliant Jerk?"
• Sunday Firesides: Never Criticize Without Offering an Alternative