ESEG Talks with Pablo Funchal and Victor Arnaud: a career doesn't happen by chance. It's built through movement.

There's a question that accompanies virtually every professional journey: where do I want to go? But perhaps an even more important question is: what am I doing to get there?

It is from this provocation that the new episode of ESEG Talks brings together Pablo Funchal, CEO of Fluxus, and Victor Arnaud, President of Equinix Brazil, for a conversation about career, protagonism, leadership, skills development, and decision-making.

The two are co-authors of the book "Career is Action" and share personal and professional experiences to discuss a central idea: a career belongs to those who build it. Moderated by Professor Danilo Bueno and featuring Michele Perrud, a law student at ESEG, the episode also brings the debate closer to the daily lives of students and young professionals.

Career development cannot be outsourced.

One of the central points of the conversation is professional autonomy. For the guests, expecting a company to fully construct a professional's career plan means transferring to third parties a responsibility that is also individual.

The organization can offer opportunities, career paths, positions, and experiences. But it is up to the professional to recognize their potential, develop skills, seek feedback, broaden their horizons, and make choices.

This perspective requires a change in attitude: instead of simply asking "what is the company's career plan?", it's worth asking "what am I doing to build my career?"“

The next decision doesn't define your entire trajectory.

For those entering the job market, this reflection becomes even more relevant. Pablo points out that one professional decision doesn't have to determine one's entire career.

In a scenario where new professions and possibilities are constantly emerging, building a repertoire and the ability to learn become fundamental. Victor emphasizes that the excess of information also creates a new challenge: knowing how to select, interpret, and question what one receives.

Studying, reading, and developing critical thinking are no longer activities restricted to academic training but are becoming part of professional development.

Clarity doesn't come before movement.

One of the most striking concepts in the episode appears when Pablo states that clarity does not precede movement, but is a result of it.

The idea breaks with the expectation that a perfect plan is needed before acting. Some answers only appear when we experiment, make choices, accumulate experiences, and observe the results.

In this sense, inertia can be a greater risk than error in certain situations. The conversation presents a particularly relevant thought for young professionals: not every decision needs to be final to be important.

The discussion then moves on to a question that arises at different stages of one's career: should we think more or act more? The answer presented by the guests lies not in choosing one side, but in learning to navigate between them.

A high-impact decision that is difficult to reverse requires more analysis and discussion. However, when faced with choices that allow for testing, learning, and course correction, indefinitely evaluating possibilities can be more costly than experimenting.

Logic also applies to leadership: knowing when to intervene and when to allow another person to develop autonomy is an essential part of the job of a leader.

Leadership also requires stepping outside of one's comfort zone.

The episode also addresses different leadership styles and the need to develop skills that don't always correspond to our most natural characteristics. Instead of treating a leadership style as a fixed identity, Pablo proposes seeing it as a compass, not a cage.

This idea applies to any professional stage. Being more introverted doesn't mean you can't develop communication skills. Being more analytical doesn't prevent someone from expanding their relationship abilities. Being more of a executor doesn't mean abandoning critical thinking.

Developing a broader repertoire allows one to respond better to different contexts, including those that require stepping outside of one's comfort zone.

The guests' personal experiences also reveal important changes in their career paths. Victor recounts that, at the beginning of his career, he needed to understand that communication was not a cost, but an investment. Pablo, on the other hand, highlights a different change: despite always having an aptitude for speaking, he realized he needed to develop his listening skills better.

Listening emerges as an essential skill for leading, reducing noise, and making communication more effective. One of the techniques mentioned is simple, yet powerful: verifying what the other person has truly understood before moving on.

Reading, repertoire, and the construction of thought.

The conversation also dedicates space to the guests' relationship with books and the importance of reading. More than a source of knowledge, the book appears as a tool to broaden one's repertoire, exercise concentration, learn about other perspectives, and develop critical thinking.

The topic directly relates to ESEG initiatives, such as the Book Club, an initiative of ESEG Tech & Business, mentioned during the episode. According to the guests, collective reading environments can help create commitment, stimulate discussions, and, above all, bring different interpretations into contact.

In closing, a particularly relevant provocation emerges: in a society marked by polarization and the search for quick answers, it may be increasingly important to create spaces to question, discuss ideas, and be willing to change one's mind.

Where to watch

The episode featuring Pablo Funchal and Victor Arnaud, as well as other episodes of ESEG Talks, is available on... YouTube and in Spotify from ESEG College.

Watch, share, and follow the upcoming episodes of the "Tech & Business: Intelligence in Action" season of the ESEG Talks podcast.