Waiting in line for my Friday night latte, I overheard a guy jokingly say to his friend, "Look out. You know what they say about curiosity and the cat!". Without knowing the full context of the conversation, I certainly have no clue as to the why he gave the warning though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. Then it hit me that we have been passing this saying down for generations as a subconscious reminder that we should avoid certain risks or meet our demise. Then I thought, wow, all because a cat climbed too high into a chimney, fell and eventually died from its injuries. Seriously, when I got home, I looked it up to be sure. It must have been a slow news day on March 4, 1916 because that's when So now is the time to innovate, get creative, get back out of the proverbial box, right?
Not so much at the micro level. Many employees have lost the yin-yang balance between their natural attraction toward being curious to the overwhelming amount of anxiety about their jobs. This leads to prolonged, unproductive behavior and additional stress. In fact, according to the latest Annual Study from Robert Half International and CareerBuilder, more than half of employees polled plan to jump ship when the economy rebounds. So as leaders put out well-meaning mantras to get these very same people innovating again, unless they're having genuine conversations with them as to why, providing gateways for creativity and yes - reward - it's simply another top-down mandate that will die a slow and painful death.
So with all of the top ten lists out there including 50+ methods for creating cultures of innovation, we thought we'd hone in on three simple steps leaders can take to get people curious again and hopefully re-ignite a few sparks in their ranks.
1) Let employees know it's safe to be curious.
Your main goal here is to clear the dark cloud and let a little sunshine in so first you've got to loosen up and admit defeat - you don't have all the answers. Then go talk with your teams - not at them - with them. Speak genuinely, letting them know their ideas are important because you don't have all the answers. Let them know it's OK to question things. It's OK to experiment and though some mistakes will be made its a risk you're willing to take. In fact, why not celebrate the failures? Give people recognition for trying. And by all means, thank them regularly for their contributions.
2) Build a playground.
There are so many tools available today that offer phenomenal ways to share ideas with each other, gain feedback and reward behaviors. Tap into them. You don't have to make a huge investment to create a platform that can become an idea well.
3) Be a curious leader.
Add your ideas to the mix and ask people what they think of them. Then, be ready to accept feedback and encourage conversations around better ones - especially those that challenge your traditional ways of thinking.
There's novelty everywhere. Seek it out.
