I’m curious!
Albert Einstein once said ‘I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious’. Curiosity is a good attribute to have when you run a business. I’m very curious, curious about people, curious about business, curious about why people do the things they do and why they chose to run their own business. I always want to hear the ‘back story’.
Discover new information
Curiosity feeds my knowledge. Having a curious mind helps you to learn, discover new information, find out how to do things differently and keep discovering new and relevant information. It may not seem relevant at the time you discover it, but it will become relevant when you need to use it.
Curiosity can turn into research very easily. Often what starts out as a fleeting curiosity around something, can lead to a much fuller understanding that works well for me and then benefit my clients further down the line.
I can build the bigger picture!
I have an inquisitive nature and have had since childhood. My need to understand detail about a situation or person may seem nosey to some, but I’m curious! I can build the ‘bigger picture’ in my mind when I have more information. In fact I realise now this is how I work with my consultancy clients. I ask lots of questions, to be able to piece the jigsaw together in my mind. When I amass the information I need, all cylinders start firing and then the ideas and solutions flow. Bespoke solutions!
Business success or failure
I am curious to hear personal stories when it comes to business success (or failure) as it gives a broader understanding of business in general. Why do people fail? Why do people succeed? What was the magic ingredient for them?
Learning from others
If I witness a really successful business taking shape, one I admire, I start to look at how and why it works so well. There is always a learning to be had and a lesson to be relayed to others.
A business is a combination of many parts, so sometimes it is not too obvious how it works well until you have the knowledge around all aspects of it, not just the numbers or the surface detail. You need the curiosity to do a ‘deep dive’.
Give your brain a good workout
At the end of the day curiosity means that you want to improve, to do better, never stop learning and strive to be the best you can be. Curiosity stretches your mind, improves your ability, keeps you energetic and gives your brain a good workout!
So, I’m curious, what’s your story?
Photo courtesy of Joakim Honkasalo – Unsplash
