Making it Safe to Fail

Albert Einstein once said, ‘I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.’ I find this so interesting because he was essentially suggesting that it was curiosity – not intellect or hard work or knowledge – which led to his groundbreaking discoveries in theoretical physics. In this article, I will be taking this idea that curiosity is an essential component to success, and examining what role curiosity plays in the world of work.

A Curious Question: What is Curiosity?

So, what exactly is curiosity? It is, as defined by Entrepreneur magazine, ‘A perpetual mindset of inquiry that distinguishes the intellectually curious from the mentally stagnant or apathetic.’

An innate sense of curiosity is a trait common to many successful people, mainly because curious inquiries can be a driver for innovation, change, discovery, and creativity. Open minds will naturally be more receptive to new ideas and new ways of thinking in comparison to closed minds. A healthy curiosity about the world also guards against a decline into cynicism and jadedness by helping us to maintain an enthusiasm for life in general. Curiosity is an essential trait for corporate success, too. If harnessed in the right way, curiosity can give rise to fresh ideas, can open up new and unforeseen opportunities, and can go a long way to helping you keep your company ahead of the game.

Curiosity in Business

The idea that curiosity plays a vital role in business success is slowly gaining traction. In 2015, PwC conducted their 20th annual survey of over one thousand global CEOs. A number of respondents said that curiosity was crucial if leaders are to be successful. Alan D. Wilson, CEO of the Fortune 1000 company McCormick and Co, said that the best leaders are those who are ‘Always expanding their perspective and what they know – and [who] have that natural curiosity.’

When asked what leadership trait is useful if companies are to survive difficult times, the global CEO of Dell Inc, Michael Dell, was emphatic in response. ‘I would place my bet on curiosity,’ he said.

Get Your Employees Curious!

For much the same reason, it’s important that your employees are curious too. According to curiosity expert, Patrick Mussel PhD, ‘Curiosity fosters learning, and job-related knowledge is one of the most important determinants of job performance.’ Mussel believes that curiosity is particularly beneficial during times of change because inquisitive and open-minded people are naturally more receptive to change. As children, we are innately curious; it plays an accepted role in physical, mental, and emotional development. As any parent will know, a young child asks a lot of questions –approximately 73 a day in fact. However, as we get older and enter adulthood, curiosity is no longer viewed as an integral part of our development. ‘Curiosity is hard-wired into the brain, but we’ve been taught to suppress it,’ explains Todd Kashdan, PhD. He believes society’s attitude to adulthood curiosity should change and ‘the workplace – where we spend most of our waking hours and often seek fulfillment – would be an excellent place to start.’

And he’s not the only person who thinks so. The Curiosity Report, a study of more than 2,600 US employees across 16 industries by German company, Merck KgaA, discovered that 65% of employees believed that curiosity was necessary for innovation. However, approximately the same number of people said that their workplace didn’t encourage them to ask questions on the job. In 84% of cases, respondents claimed their employers said they want to see curiosity in their workplace, but 60% had encountered obstacles to it. The researchers concluded that these contradictory results meant that while leaders are paying lip service to the idea of encouraging curiosity in the workplace, many are not following through in practice. Buzzwords like innovation and creativity may be bandied about, but if organizational structures continue to be barriers to open discussion and the exchange of ideas, leaders are not practicing what they preach. As the Merck report states, ‘It is not enough for an organization to simply value curiosity; steps must be taken to foster a workplace culture that actively supports it.’

How Can You Create This Kind Of Culture?

Firstly, questions should be encouraged. Unlike our child selves, our adult selves often avoid asking questions because we are afraid of seeming ‘less than’ in the eyes of our peers. Fear of colleagues’ reactions, even if it is just a frown or an impatient roll of the eyes, stifles workplace inquiry. Leaders must actively encourage a culture in which there is ‘no such thing as a stupid question.’ Questioning should be rewarded, while negative judgement of those who are brave enough to ask shouldn’t be tolerated. In the same vein, negative attitudes towards failure need to be examined, and if necessary, adjusted. Failing is learning. Active inquiry and experimentation will inevitably result in ‘failure’, but if we learn and improve from our mistakes, they are not failures at all. Foster an environment where employees feel it is safe to fail, and ultimately you will see creativity and innovation flourish. Opposing viewpoints are also vital to an open-minded, inquisitive workplace. Seeking out perspectives which are different to our own engenders vigorous debate, which ultimately fuels curious minds.

The degree to which your team utilizes their intellectual curiosity is linked to the degree of autonomy and ownership they experience in the workplace. Simply by giving employees the leeway to think exploratively and experimentally will undoubtedly influence workplace curiosity. Also, being accommodating enough to allow your team to complete tasks in their own way – in other words, avoiding micromanaging their every move -– may promote independent thinking and problem solving. Accomplishing tasks on their own will also increase self-belief, which in turn is likely to give your staff the confidence to tackle new challenges and to think ‘outside the box.’ This is an empowering approach, which encourages your team to be self-directed and to take ownership of their work. In his Ted talk, Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose, Dan Pink presents the example of an Australian software company, Atlassian. Once a quarter, the company gives its people 24 hours of complete latitude to approach their work in any way they want – they can use whatever resources they feel is necessary, collaborate with whomever they think will be most beneficial to their work, and work on their projects in whatever manner they want. The result? ‘It turns out,’ said Pink ‘That one day of pure undiluted autonomy has led to a whole array of fixes for existing software, a whole array of ideas for new products that otherwise had never emerged.’

Curiosity May Have Killed The Cat But It Will Make Your Organisation Stronger!

The evidence is overwhelming. Leaders who stifle workplace curiosity hold their people back, and in turn their company too.

Leaders who encourage curiosity give their people the opportunity to make decisions, to take control, to grow in confidence and to become more creative and fulfilled. In short, great leaders give their people permission to fly.