Contents
Originally Published: March 27, 2020
I donβt do this often, but Iβm borrowing a post I read today about curiosity. ItΒ effectively describes how we can utilize our curiosity toΒ combat boredom and complacency, thereby improving performance in the workplace.
When you do the same things over and over, work starts to become routine. You go to the same meetings, review the same numbers, and email the same people. You learn your job so well that you barely have to think about it. The spark goes away, and your creative energy fizzles. The problem? Youβve lost your sense of curiosity.
Fortunately, research shows that simply being more curious can have a tremendous effect on your career, improving your performance in the workplace and enhancing your workplace relationships. Hereβs why experts say curiosity leads to resultsβand what you can do to bring curiosity back to your work.
Intelligence and effort are both essential for success. However,Β a 2011 psychological study identified a third factor that goes undervalued: intellectual curiosity. The researchers concluded that intelligence, effort, and curiosity could all predict better performance, and even for people without the raw smarts, curiosity and effort alone were enough to make up for it.
What makes curiosity so crucial for performance? One explanation is that curious workers are better atΒ dealing with nuance and complexity. Instead of being frustrated with unclear directionsβor overwhelmed by all the complicating factorsβcurious people are eager to dig in and discover. When the path forward isnβt clear, they see opportunity. When something doesnβt make sense, theyβre excited to find the correct answer. Over time, employers come to trust curious workers with higher-level, more difficult projects.
Ask yourself:Β
It probably comes as no surprise that curious workersΒ connect more quickly and effectively with their co-workers. They ask more questions, spend more time with colleagues, and quickly come to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their fellow team members. As a result, curious employees know how to bestΒ collaborate on a project,Β delegate a task, or motivate a particular colleague.
But the benefits of curiosity go beyond collaboration. A recent study showed that curious people do a better jobΒ dealing with social rejectionβparticularly important in new or unpredictable work environments. While more research is needed to identify the underlying causes, curious people may be able to focus more on discovery itself (what can I learn about this group?) and less on the immediate result (will I be rejected?).
Ask yourself:
In aΒ 2014 study on brain activity, researchers provided subjects with a series of questions and answers. The more curious a participant was about a given question, the more dopamine the personβs brain would release upon learning the answer. Later, the researchers tested participants to see how well they had retained the information. Unsurprisingly, people were much better at retaining the information they were curious about. The dopamine seemed to enhance brain connections at a cellular level.
More surprisingly, however, the researchers found that curious participants were also better at retaining boring informationβso long as the researchers interspersed the boring questions among the more interesting ones. It seemed that once a brainβs curiosity was already piqued, the same positive effects would carry on for a short time. In the workplace, this means maximizing your time spent on tasks that awaken your curiosity and breaking up busywork with more interesting work.
Ask yourself:Β
Whether youβre a graphic designer or a software developer, your best work often happens after a creative breakthrough. Key moments of inspiration can help you finally crack a tough problem or see a project in a new light.
However, reaching that key momentΒ requires a deep well of curiosity. You want to find work that lets youΒ stay in the moment, that keeps you passionate about whatβs right in front of you. Sometimes, that means changing your habits to reduce mindless work. Other times, that could involve finding new projects that better pique your curiosity. Over time, doing work that sparks your curiosity will help youΒ sustain your creative energy, and in turn, reach your next creative breakthrough more quickly.
Ask yourself:Β
While itβs tempting to fall back on old work routines, it pays to shake things up. The more you let your curiosity take the lead, the better youβll be able to work, learn, and grow.
To learn more about improving performance in the workplace, read, βHow To Improve Performance In The Workplace And In Life: A Field Guideβ, by Howe Q. Wallace. More than 50 messages β on topics including leadership,Β teamwork,Β motivation, andΒ courageous communication β have been compiled in the field guide for aspiring leaders to hear key messages. The goal of the guide is to develop the full potential of people who are more successful and effective at home and in the workplace. Consider reading some of Howeβs other recommended good reads.
ππ ππ₯ππππ‘π πππ π‘ππͺπ¦: π§ππ π£ππ§π π§π’ ππ’π¨π₯πππ ππ‘π π§πππ πͺπ’π₯π
If you ever watched the classic movie The Godfather, you might remember this quote: βIf your car could take me to the airport, Mr. Corleone is a man who ins...
πππππ‘π π¬π’π¨π₯π¦πππ ππ¬ πͺπππ§ π¬π’π¨ ππ’π©π
βDefine yourself by what you love.β β Tim Minchin
I recently watched a commencement address by Australian comedian Tim Minchin at the University of Western Australia, where he shared nine unc...
π’π©ππ₯ππ’π ππ‘π πππ©ππ₯π¦ππ§π¬: πππ₯'π¦ πππ¦π¦π’π‘π¦ ππ‘ ππππππ₯π¦πππ£
Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio when he was in his late 30s. He lost the use of his legs overnight, never to regain it.
Read more below.
ππππ ππππ₯πππ§ππ₯ ππππππ₯π¦πππ£: πͺπππ§ π¬π’π¨ ππ’ ππ’π¨π‘π§π¦
I listened to a discussion on the importance of high-character leadership to a companyβs success and learned some interesting insights. Read more below.
#Leadership #...
