The Curious Importance of Intellectual Curiosity

Curiosity killed the cat. How curious is that? What has the cat idiom got to do with business or your team? Well, the curious thing is – a lot! Unfortunately, curiosity has, at times, been given a bad name as in killing cats or opening Pandora’s box and creating chaos. Our children may sometimes drive us bananas with their “Why?” questions. As adults, we don’t ask “Why?” questions because we don’t want to look silly. What about poor Eve from the Bible with the apple, and the snake, and the nakedness? OH MY! Your team needs curiosity to become high performers. Are you curious to know how that works?

What is Intellectual Curiosity?

Regular, everyday curiosity is simply a desire to learn something. This “every day” type of curiosity can be as mundane as learning where your neighbor went for vacation, or what tasks do I need to accomplish today? intellectual curiosity is where the “Why?” questions come into play. It’s about having a deep passion and persistence for learning and peeling off the layers around any topic. When administering the 12 Driving Forces Assessment to clients, they learn that some people like to learn information only when they need to know it. Others, what to know information just for the sake of learning. I like to describe these folks (and I’m one of them) in this manner, “When they ask you what time it is, they don’t just want to know the time, but how the clock works, and why it works that way.”

Why is Intellectual Curiosity Important?

You and your team need to solve problems, make good decisions, and be better learners. Here’s how intellectual curiosity helps with these important business skills.

Problem Solving – Curious people solve problems because they want to know how the world works and they keep asking those “Why?” questions until they get to the root of the issue. They keep peeling off the layers until they can expose the core causes of a problem. Further, they are not afraid to say, “I don’t know.” More realistically, they say, “I don’t know, yet.” Think about the difference just those two statements can make in a mindset. Moreover, that same curiosity gives permission to brainstorm and explore possibilities.

Decision Making – You and your team make decisions all day, every day. Are they good decisions? Are they the best decisions? On whom do these decisions have an impact? Curiosity can eliminate bias thinking helping us to make more rational decisions and to prevent us from reaching foregone conclusions about any topic. This, in turn, allows fewer errors and opens the door for deeper thinking leading to better decision-making.

Better Learning – Curiosity helps people to be better learners because they dig more deeply into a subject. When people are curious about a topic, learning is not a drudgery, but more like fun or an enjoyable journey. This is helpful when learning a new skill. Think about a team member you may be considering for promotion. Does the individual have the intellectual curiosity to learn the skills the new position might require? In addition, better learners can contribute to their field in a more meaningful manner.

How Can Your Team Develop Intellectual Curiosity?

Your own intellectual curiosity must be not only topic driven, but people driven as well. What does that mean? We all have seen people who can get the job done, but who leave a field of broken relationships and people in their path to success. When you continuously learn about your people, this is where you build trust, respect, loyalty, and have better communication. People and their motivation change over the course of their tenure with you and your organization. This is just like a personal relationship. You can’t tell your significant other about your love for them only once and expect it to last a lifetime. The words from the popular song: “Escape” (the pina colada song) by Rupert Holmes might be dancing through your head right now. Working relationships are no different. They require continuous curiosity, learning, and interest. Here are a few ideas to consider in building a team with intellectual curiosity.

• Empathy – Having empathy allows you to deliver better feedback, allocate work more effectively, and build trust.
• Allow Curiosity – Make time, and a safe space, for people to explore some interest they may have, especially when that curiosity relates to a team project or problem the team is trying to solve.
• Role Model – Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know something, or to ask what might seem like a “dumb” question. Even more importantly, create a safe space for others to do the same.
• Motivation – Encouraging curiosity in others and being curious about others helps create and build motivation in them. This is because you are providing encouragement and making the effort to understand other people’s point of view. That takes a strong leader.

In summary, you help create a culture of intellectual curiosity. High performance teams need the space to be curious and to make mistakes. This encourages risk-taking and the entrepreneurial thinking that propels many teams and organizations to capture the market in their respective fields.

If you’re curious about building more intellectual curiosity, I’d love to help, Let's get started

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