“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
For anyone privileged enough to serve in a leadership role, mentor a young professional or simply participate in their child’s Career Day assembly, invariably the same age-old question comes up: “What’s the key to success in business?”
This is such a difficult question to answer because success can take on so many different meanings. At one point for me it meant actually having walls around my desk; later it was having a “C” in my title. Regardless of the metric, I’ve observed a variety of common traits that seem to enhance one’s likelihood of being successful. These include a well-rounded education, perseverance, integrity, humility (offset with a manageable level of ego) and the ability to effectively communicate to multiple stakeholders. And without question, good old fashioned luck plays a huge role. I was taught early on that you cannot create luck out of thin air, but you can certainly put yourself in a position to be lucky. Simple tasks like taking on new assignments, blogging, networking regularly, performing community service or just “checking in” periodically with your closest personal and professional contacts are all behaviors that can pay huge dividends (often when you least expect it).
For example, I was checking in with a close friend and mentor while living in South Florida and happened to mention that my family was interested in relocating back to New York. He was in the process of selling one of his portfolio companies in Rochester and thought I would be a great fit for the new owners. He made the introduction, I followed-up diligently, and six months later I was the president of that company. My family’s been back home in New York ever since.
When pushed for a single answer on the key to success, however, I believe the greatest asset anyone can possess is curiosity. If you think of the traits I’ve outlined above, curiosity is either a driver or byproduct of them all. Curiosity is something most adults admire in young kids without realizing that it never has to end. They say curiosity kills cats; I say a lack of it kills effective leadership and organizational growth.
Curious leaders acknowledge their own shortcomings because they tend to be more self-aware; that’s why they’re so curious. They “know what they don’t know” and take the initiative to fill in the missing blanks. For me personally it’s been simple routines like reading daily on the treadmill, watching Ted talks online, seeking out mentors, attending trade events or just engaging the person sitting next to me on a flight in conversation. Even better, asking an expert about what they do and why they love doing it almost always results in a great exchange of information (at no cost). Why? Because their desire to learn more about you satisfies their own high level of curiosity. Just realize they’re not all altruists; they believe making time for you is an opportunity to pick your brain as well. And you wonder why they’re the experts?
Imagine the competitive advantage your company would possess if everyone in the organization followed this same process on a regular basis; they can (and will) when your curiosity leads by example. Your company would set trends versus follow them, create markets versus compete in them and ultimately spend its time filling unmet customer needs versus obsessing over the competition. For any of you Blue Ocean Strategists out there, any of this sound familiar?
My mom once gave me some great advice on the subject: when you want something, just ask for it. The worst thing anyone can ever say is “no.” In my experience, however, 95+% of the time the answer is “yes.” And while the availability of information digitally has never been greater, nothing takes the place of a face-to-face exchange of ideas and information. I just hope those thinking an emoji constitutes effective communication start drinking this Kool Aid, but that’s a whole separate topic.
While it seems to me that Moore’s Law applies to more than just semiconductors today, I believe curiosity is like a blue pinstripe suit – it withstands the test of time and never goes out of style.
Please share your thoughts on the subject or personal experiences as a curious leader.