Curiosity and Your Career

I’ve always been a curious person, sometimes to a fault in being labeled “nosey.”  But while unchecked curiosity can turn into pure nosiness (the kind that “killed the cat”), a healthy sense of curiosity can help your career. 

When we think of the qualities of great leaders, curiosity doesn’t always make the list.  However, in recent conversations with corporate leaders and biographical reading on people such as Thomas Jefferson, it has stood out to me that curiosity is/was indeed a central component of their personalities and, ultimately, helped lead to their success.  The idea was cemented with me when I heard Jim Tressel, former Ohio State head football coach and now president at Youngstown State University, list curiosity as one of five elements for success in a recent talk with students.  So, how do I see curiosity play out for leaders and aspiring leaders?

First, curiosity is a differentiator in the workplace because few make the time to learn more than what’s needed, or perceived to be needed.  If I tried to work continuing education and learning into my everyday priorities, I would inevitably fail.  With the current demands placed on many professionals, finding time to explore new ideas or understand broader concepts is a challenge.  Therefore, time must be invested outside of normal working hours to learn more about your customers, your products/services, your organization and the marketplace within which your organization operates. 

I recently spoke to an aspiring sales leader, Joe, who sold a product in a highly regulated marketplace.  The product Joe was selling, by itself, was a commodity and success was highly correlated with having the best price.  During the conversation, I uncovered that one way to differentiate the product was by demonstrating no lapses in compliance with the marketplace regulations.   Unique to this individual, Joe also holds a law degree.  I asked whether he understands all of the regulations that his customer must comply with in the normal operation of business, and how the product he sold made it easier to comply with all of these regulations.  For Joe, perhaps selling his knowledge of the broader regulatory environment (particularly given his legal background) was a way to focus the buying decision on more than just price.  But, while Joe filled his work day researching prospects, making sales calls and preparing proposals, time to research the broader regulatory environment his customers operated within would require additional time and effort. 

In his recorded remarks to students, Jim Tressel correctly points out that when curiosity weans, complacency sets in.  When we get in the habit of going through the motions, without thinking whether the motions actually make sense or could be improved, we ultimately become complacent with our performance and output.  This complacency limits our future success.  Curious individuals look for ways to improve, seek additional information and propose new, more efficient and effective ways of delivering value to the organization and its customers. 

Certainly, we can expand this topic to other aspects of the workplace and to our personal lives as well.  We'll save this for another time.  For now, I welcome your thoughts, input and experiences.  

More to come on this topic, and I welcome your thoughts, input and experiences.