😼 Befriending the curious cat in you for better problem-solving.
Re-discover the expensive skill of inquisitiveness to increase your professional worth.
One of the biggest pillars of growth is curiosity. When we accept things as they are, we tend to operate in autopilot and miss out on so many opportunities to explore and experiment. Work gets more about doing than thinking, compromising our creativity.
Only when we are open to changes and new ways of working will we uncover our full potential. By creating space for curiosity, we train our brains to untangle our thoughts and solve problems in ways we otherwise won’t see possible.
Can’t we skip to the easy part?
Most of us who are already comfortable in our ways of working probably often look at other people who experiment a lot, thinking “Why bother? It’s easier this way.” Though there is nothing wrong with sticking to what you know, it also won’t hurt to switch it up once in a while.
According to Emily Campbell, a Human Development and Education PhD at UC Berkeley, there are six surprising benefits of having a curious personality trait:
Helps us survive. Literally and figuratively, as our environment changes, curiosity helps us remain vigilant and gain new knowledge periodically.
Makes people happier. Research has shown curiosity to be associated with higher levels of positive emotions as novelty produces dopamine.
Boosts achievement. Curiosity improves learning mechanisms and enhances brain plasticity. The more curious, the likelier we are to remember a topic.
Expand empathy. It makes us understand better those with lives, experiences, and worldviews different than our own.
Strengthen relationships. Based on a study, people are rated as warmer and more attractive if they show real curiosity in an exchange.
Improves healthcare. Due to curiosity, both doctors and patients report less anger and frustration and make better decisions.
Read more about the connection between curiosity and its psychological benefits in the full article here.
Which breed of curious cat do you have?
It seems that as we grow older, we stray further and further away from the need to know about everything. But, could it be that we are actually still as curious as when we were kids, but just in different ways?
Ian Leslie, a London-based author and speaker, published a book titled “Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends on It”. In it, he divides curiosity into three categories:
Diversive Curiosity
This attraction to novelty is what pushes us to explore new places, meet new people, and try new things. It’s the beginning step of curiosity, and unfortunately also has its own risk factors.
Epistemic Curiosity
This deeper quest for knowledge represents the deepening of a simple seeking of newness into a directed attempt to build understanding. It’s when you put effort into the diversive curiosity you initially have.
Empathic Curiosity
When you start to put yourself in other people’s shoes, that’s when your curiosity becomes empathic curiosity. It makes you wonder what people do and most importantly why they do what they do.
Learn more about the power of curiosity Leslie’s strategies in staying curious, in the review-esque piece here.
Leveraging curiosity at work
Though confidence is important in making decisions, curiosity is still the key to all kinds of problem solving. The ever-changing trends and landscapes in the Industry always require fresh approaches to crack.
Carrie Rich, the founder and CEO of The Global Good Fund has shared with Forbes her Curiosity Project. Here are some takeaways we can put in mind and implement:
Book Curiosity Meetings
Carrie allocates time for meetings with her peers, networked contacts, and even leaders and experts in unrelated industries, to present a five-minute overview of what she seeks to learn, then listen as they share insights. The questions she often asks:
What are your thoughts on [insert topic]?
What would you do differently?
What resources do you suggest I look into?
Who do you suggest I learn from?
Hire An Outsider
By hiring someone who is not yet too familiar with the work, it gives them an opportunity to grow with the team while providing insights from a fresh, unbiased lens. You could work with interns or freelancers for this purpose.
Document What You Learn
With her team, Carrie documents all of her curiosity meetings as well as all of the resources she read during her Curiosity Project, then present her findings to her internal team with a plan for how the team will grow.
Practice your curiosity skill and find more insights in Carrie’s full Forbes article here.
Looking to nurture your curious side, while expanding your knowledge and network at the same time?
You’re in luck! Mekari is back with our tech webinar series “Agile Ambition”. This time, we’ll chat all about Data Engineering with Kelvin (Data Engineer) and Chiara (Business Intelligence Analyst) from our Data team.
Quench your curiosity on Data Engineering, its vital roles in the greater Data team, and what you should do if you'd like to pivot to this field, tomorrow on Tuesday, 28th June at 19:00-20:30 WIB. Register now for free!
