The Power of Curiosity: Staying on the Cutting Edge

Curiosity is the heart and soul of innovation. When you are curious, you do not accept the status quo. When you are interested, you will question the "why." When you are curious, you can see things that may have escaped others. When you are curious, you have an entrepreneurial spirit.

Let's start by explaining what curiosity is. It is a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning. It represents a thirst for knowledge (Wikipedia). So why don't more people or organizations work from the perspective of curiosity? It stems from fear or things like we have always done this way. As a species, we can be very territorial of our turf, so we take kindly to people questioning our methods or practices. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to live and work in an environment where curiosity was cultivated. We were constantly challenging each other. Always striving to do our very best and offer grace to each other when we may fall short. It isn't a failure, just another lesson to learn from.

Leigh Buchanan from Inc. compiled a list of questions we should all ask. Here are a couple:

1. Who uses our products in ways we did not expect?

2. What counts that we are not counting?

3. What should we stop or start doing?

4. What do we stand for....what do we stand against?

5. Am I failing differently each time?

6. Why should I listen to you?

7. Where do you add value?

The questions are thought-provoking, huh. To learn more, read: "100 Questions Business Leaders Should Ask".

How about a bit of curiosity today? What will you do differently, and how will you inspire others to be curious?

Constantly curious,

Francisca