We all are born with curiosity. We see this quality demonstrated most often by the young. Perhaps you have children, or nephews and nieces that are curious about everything and continually ask why, ad nauseam.You may tell them, “Curiosity killed the cat.” Many years ago this phrase was used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. It implied that being curious can lead to danger or misfortune. The original form of the proverb, now rarely used, was “Care killed the cat”. In this instance, “care” was defined as “worry” or “sorrow for others.” In 1916 The Washington Post headline was the phrase itself and the headline was a story in The Washington Post on 4 March 1916 (page 6):
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT…Four Departments of New York City Government Summoned to Rescue Feline.From the New York World.Curiosity, as you may recall—On the fifth floor of the apartment house at 203 West 130th street lives Miss Mable Godfrey. When she came to the house about seven months ago she brought Blackie, a cat of several years’ experience of life.The cat seldom left the apartment. He was a hearth cat, not a fence cat, and did not dearly love to sing. In other respects, he was regular and hence curious.Last Tuesday afternoon, when Miss Godfrey was out Blackie skipped into the great fireplace in a rear room. He had done this many times before. But he had not climbed up the flue to the chimney. However, he did on Tuesday. Blackie remained, perched on the top of the screen separating the apartment flue from the main chimney, crying for assistance. Miss Godfrey, returning, tried to induce her pet to come down. If you are experienced in felinity, you know that Blackie didn’t come down.On Wednesday, the cat, curiosity unsatisfied, tried to climb higher—and fell to the first floor. His cries could still be heard by Miss Godfrey; who, to effect Blackie’s rescue, communicated with the following departments:1. Police department.2. Fire department.3. Health department.4. Building department.5. Washington Heights court.Among them, they lowered a rope to Blackie. But it availed neither the cat nor them anything.Thursday morning, just before noon, a plumber opened the rear wall back of the chimney. Blackie was taken out. His fall had injured his back. Ten minutes later Blackie died.
The proverb is usually related to “cats have nine lives,” and the animal’s interest in seeing, smelling, and investigating everything. Cats are, in theory, so curious that they use up all their nine lives in their pursuit of new things. However, the second half is “but satisfaction brings it back.” This suggests that the cat’s life was worth the risk to satisfy its curiosity.
So what is this story really telling us? How can this story help with innovation? Well, perhaps being curious and open minded is exactly what you need to solve big problems or innovate new solutions and take some risks. When you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you always got. Some people categorize this as insanity. Remember Blockbuster and Netflix. In early 2000, Netflix founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph offered to sell the company to Blockbuster for $50 million. Blockbuster turned them down; they were not curious, they wanted to just keep doing what they always did. Netflix triumphed over Blockbuster, popularized streaming, and forced the entertainment industry to adapt. They stayed curious and have been very innovative, Netflix has revolutionized at-home entertainment. One of the keys for success is embedding company principles into the company culture. One of those principles is always to be curious. Curiosity, curiosity, curiosity! Curiosity is a good instinct and can lead to exciting new thoughts and discoveries.
Although there is a lot of innovation going on, some companies and people are not innovating. Often, many adults find it easier to live as the expert who knows everything, rather than admit they don’t know something or be the student who seeks knowledge. This does not have to be the way; one can always become more innovative at work and reinvent themself personally, it can start just by becoming curious and letting go of the expectation that you must know everything.
Think about when you were in kindergarten, you asked questions, you explored, and you didn’t create barriers and boundaries for yourself. Curiosity allows you to listen and read about new ideas with an open mind, and seek to understand the world around you. As an adult, being curious can help you expand your thinking, help you think differently, and often the results produce new ideas, products, and innovation. This is when you can begin to challenge the status quo, which can be simultaneously thrilling and intimidating, depending on your environment.
Curiosity and creativity spur innovation within the workplace. To build these skills company wide, emphasize questions over answers and create space for exploration. MIT
Are you curious to learn about how to create a crucial role in driving innovation at work? Here are some of the most common things that can help increase your curiosity.
- Question common assumptions and beliefs, ask yourself if they are still relevant and valid.
- Make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts (this often leads to innovative and novel approaches to problem-solving).
- Experiment to become more inquisitive and encourage risk-taking
- Collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and expertise, which often sparks new conversations, insights, and ideas that can all drive innovation.
- Adopt a growth mindset focused on learning instead of winning; people with a growth mindset tend to become more progressive and innovative.
- Ask Questions – Embrace childlike curiosity. Children always want to know ‘why’. This is where lifelong learning skills happen (inquiry, emotional intelligence, self-advocacy, and active engagement and participation).
- Stay open-minded which helps with less judgment and more inquisitive, introspective, and considerate
- Cultivate a sense of wonder – take time to appreciate the beauty and complexity around you and allow the feeling of surprise mixed with admiration into your life.
- Read outside of your area of expertise.
- Embrace failure as it is often a great teacher and a stepping stone to success.
- Engage in mindfulness exercises, such as meditation, which can help you develop a more profound sense of awareness, often leading to a new understanding of the world around you and newfound solutions.
Curiosity serves as a catalyst for innovation by inspiring individuals to challenge the status quo, explore new ideas, collaborate, and pursue continuous improvement. Interest also plays a crucial role in transforming the way we understand, diagnose, and treat. Curiosity is a mindset that can be nurtured over time. According to Mario Livio, an astrophysicist, and author of the book Why? What Makes Us Curious, states there are two types of curiosity. During a 2017 podcast appearance for Knowledge@Wharton, Livio stated, “There is perceptual curiosity. That’s the curiosity we feel when something surprises us or when something doesn’t agree with what we know or think we know. That is felt as an unpleasant state…. On the other hand, there is epistemic curiosity, which is a pleasurable state associated with an anticipation of reward. That’s our level of knowledge. That’s what drives all scientific research. It drives many artworks. It drives education and things like that.” No less than Albert Einstein once similarly, succinctly remarked, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Are you interested in learning more? Find out what kind of curious are you? (click on the hyperlink)
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