Your Most Underrated Trait

If you’re reading this, you possess one of the most critical and underrated traits of our time. How could we be so sure? Because amid all the emails, meeting requests and other demands screaming for your attention – you’re still curious.

Curious enough to click open our inaugural newsletter and in the process, discover that it’s anything but your average corporate mailer.

Having spent the past 15 years solving our clients’ unique business complexities, we wanted to do something similar through this newsletter.

So, in each edition, we’ll focus on just one key aspect of high-performing businesses and leaders – providing the kind of analysis we’ve become known for…?the kind that leads to optimal results and real change. To kick off, let’s look at the very trait that got you here: curiosity.

WHY STAY CURIOUS?

In businesses that aim to still be around in a decade or two, curiosity can’t be an optional extra in the corporate culture. Don’t just take our word for it…

Research published by Harvard Business Review shows that curiosity is linked to better problem-solving skills, higher job satisfaction, and greater overall performance in the workplace.

IBM's Global CEO Study identified curiosity as one of the most crucial leadership traits for navigating complexity and driving innovation in today's business environment.

And McKinsey's research highlights the correlation between curiosity and business success, with curious leaders more likely to discover new opportunities, drive business growth, adapt to change, and foster a culture of innovation within their organisations.

WHAT KILLS CURIOSITY?

• Fear of failure: Ironically, no space or grace to fail almost always guarantees that a business won’t succeed like it could have. Instead, employees tend to stifle their creative and innovative thinking and switch to ‘lowest bar’ box ticking activities. Where the risks for failure are too high, the joy and genius thought levels are low.
• Lack of time: Busy schedules and competing priorities can leave little time or energy for curiosity-driven exploration and learning. When individuals are overworked, they’re not typically feeling very curious, but rather, tired and overwhelmed.
• Overly rigid structures and routines: Cogs in wheels aren’t well-known for being creative or clever. The same goes for employees who feel like their position in the company affords them little to no say.
• Leaders who know it all already: When leaders model a closed-minded attitude, characterised by a reluctance to consider alternative viewpoints or entertain new ideas, curiosity dies a slow and painful death throughout the organisation.

HOW TO STAY CURIOUS

Now for the good news… unlike your poor eyesight or dodgy back, curiosity is not a genetic trait that you were either born with or without. It's a mindset: one that can be developed or diminished, much like a muscle. To cultivate more curiosity:

• Ask more, assume less. For every answer you provide today, ask two questions. Arrive at every interaction with a willingness to learn from the people and processes involved.
• Embrace uncertainty. Instead of fearing or denying it, learn to lean into the blurred edges between what is certain and what is beyond your control. Curiosity thrives in environments where there are no clear-cut answers, so don't be afraid to venture into uncharted territory.
• Become a sponge. Actively engage with the world around you by seeing each person/challenge/opportunity as a lesson in waiting. Stay open to learning. At Analyze, intentional mentoring is one way we try to ensure two-way learning is an integral part of our workplace.

CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR OWN CURIOSITY?

• How do you tend to react when assumptions are challenged? Do you feel threatened and defensive, or interested and open to new perspectives?
• Fear / no time / rigid structures / fixed mindset: what are your top curiosity killers?
• What is your current ratio of asking questions to giving answers on any given day?
• How much space do you currently invest in learning more?
• Which one of the above tips on staying curious could you prioritise this week?
• If you or your team are constantly attending to the urgent – what processes and priorities could be shifted to create more space and time to innovate?

STILL CURIOUS?

How SA companies can empower themselves for the future: We answer the question, ‘Is change leadership really worth investing in?’

How to expand your curiosity: Two-minute tips from Simon Sinek.

South Africa and the world beyond 2024: Clem Sunter’s latest forecast and flags.

And if you want to know more about what we’ve been up to with LeadMe Academy, here are all the details.

Here’s to expanding minds, simplifying the complex, and optimising the way we work and live - one newsletter and project at a time.

Until next time,

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