Yes the right little saying is curiosity killed the cat. Cats are such curious little creatures; they investigate and enjoy little adventures they would never have had the pleasure of experiencing if they were not so inquisitive. Of course, it can get them into trouble too, into situations they may not be able to handle. Such as a beautiful green backyard with juicy birds and a large jaw snapping drooling dog!
Kids too are curious. They ask so many questions, because they just don’t know. They want to know why things are as they are and why they need to do something that is asked. And often super curiousness stops at childhood. Which is to the detriment of a leader. As adults, we tend to accept things for how they are. We accept the status quo and ‘how things are done around here.’ I wonder how much better business could be if we asked our teams to challenge some processes that are just ridiculously complicated rather than seeing it as challenging ego?
The correct title should have been lack of curiosity killed the captain, the leader of the ship. Of course that is you. We have noticed a distinct difference in the performance of both a leader and their business based on their level of curiosity. Those that are curious seem to have a better business and a better relationship with their team. Of course many other factors come into relationships but it is the interest these leaders have in others that is achieving the better results. The more interest you show in your team, your clients and even your peers, the better relationships you are going to have. Relationships are key to effective leadership.
Ten things you need to be curious about as a leader for rapid results improvement:
- Your team members and what motivates them
- How your team perform and how they achieve their end results
- The processes and procedures in your business
- What makes others in business successful
- How other leaders are achieving their success as a leader
- How your competitors are performing or not
- The culture and performance of your business
- How your team and your clients perceive you and your business
- If you are communicating in a way that is engaging your audience or confusing them
- How you can create and innovative and creative work environment achieving quality outcomes and wining results
If you start here with your curiosity, your results are going to go through the roof. If of course, you apply some of your learning’s.