Is Curiosity the Superfood of business?

Superfood (noun) - A nutrient rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.

If a super food is something that is considered to be especially beneficial for health & wellbeing … then what is the thing, the magic ingredient, that delivers health & wellbeing for business? In particular, small business?

I would argue that the super food we can all incorporate into our regular business diets is curiosity.

Let me tell you why.

Curiosity is when we lift our heads

Who else is exhausted after the last few years? It feels like we have been in a perpetual “heads down, bums up” mentality that is simply about surviving.

Surviving lockdowns.

Surviving staff sick leave.

Surviving client’s who are surviving lockdowns … and staff sick leave.

We are in a perpetual cycle of reacting to whatever is in front of us. And that’s natural, in fact, I would argue it was necessary.

The problem is, this can become a whirlpool of reaction, that can be difficult to pull ourselves out of. Because when we look inward, only challenges, problems or frustrations exist. It’s all we can see. The mess and the frustration cloud our thoughts and wipe away any chance at creativity or heaven forfend … enjoyment!

However, when we look up and out, ideas appear. We wonder what else is possible outside of our whirlpool of reactivity. And this is the very essence of curiosity … wonder.

Simply wondering what else there is. And why. And where. And when it began. And who started it. Basically channelling our inner annoying toddler, and asking “But, why?”.

It turns out, curiosity and wonder are what can take us from emergency status to starting to get into recovery and even heal.

Curiosity gives us courage

When we can see the new & interesting things happening in our own industry, even in other industries, that warm and excited feeling we get is hope. And hope of a different future, hope that progress might be possible, is what comes right before courage.

Courage to try a new system.

Courage to get a new team member.

Courage to branch out into a new sector of the market.

In my experience though, courage doesn’t appear in a vacuum. Someone doesn’t just go from exhausted and flat, to leaping out of their chair ready to tackle their next adventure. They need a spark. Some enthusiasm, some interest and well, some hutzpah!

Because the first step out of apathy isn’t action. It’s interest. It’s feeling safe enough to be interested in something, without being forced to take immediate action. Being able to find out more, discover more facts, even discover more enthusiasm.

And that’s when curiosity kicks things up a notch. Interest fuels energy, fuels interest, fuels more energy. And all of a sudden we‘ve gone from hopeless to hopeful. We feel emboldened to take that risk, to try that new system.

We discover our courage again. And curiosity becomes something we want to do every day.

A curiosity habit builds resilience

Like any superfood choice, the greatest impact is when we introduce it into our day to day life.

We therefore need to steer clear of business tips & habits that feel more like Tumeric - sure they pack a punch in the superfood stakes, but who wants to make everything taste like dirt?

But instead, we should look for the habit that mirrors Blackcurrants as a superfood - sweet, tasty, and you can make it into a cordial!

And curiosity can be that blackcurrant cordial. A small amount added to your everyday tasks will start to inject energy and enthusiasm in your team. You will build up a well of resistance to the niggling challenges that come up on a day to day basis, and become more resilient as a whole.

Curiosity done well, can absolutely unearth and nurture the health and wellbeing of our businesses.

So let’s add curiosity to the lexicon of business superfoods, shall we?

Because by rediscovering our courage, and permanently combining it with a habit of curiosity, well THEN we have something to fight back the whirlpool of reactivity.

And I promise that in my next newsletter, I’ll give you multiple ways you can build that curiosity habit in your business. In the meantime, why not share this article with someone you think might need help becoming aware of their own whirlpool of reactivity? ➡️

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And if you are keen to take the next step, there are a couple of ways I can help out:

Are you inspired to run an ideas brainstorming day to kickstart your team’s curiosity, and would love some help both designing the day and facilitating it? Just book a free 15 minute Facilitated Brainstorming Discovery Call and we can at the very least get you on the right track.

Book your time here

Is your audience ensuring their staff have all they need to make curiosity a habit and take the business to the next level? If not, you might find my keynote on investing in Imagination Capital could be perfect for your next event. The session includes 3D slides & 3D glasses, instantly creating a great vibe in the room 🤓 You can find out all the details below in my 2022 Speaker's Kit. And feel free to Direct Message to find out more.