Guest Blog: Curiosity Kills the Cat, but Grows the Leader
My great friend Samuel Deuth is going to join us with a guest blog today. I love his perspective on leadership in this article:
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You may have heard the saying “Curiosity killed the cat”. Most often you find that curiosity is looked at as a negative “fringe” quality. But I’ve learned curiosity is a common trait of great, forward moving leaders!
So Id like to offer an adjustment to old that phrase,
“Curiosity may kill the cat, but it grows the Leader”.
Have you noticed that great leaders ask a lot of questions? Why? They’re Curious! They always want to know “Whats next?” One of the most curious leaders I know is Pastor Ed Young Jr. He asks so many questions, you have to work to get one in yourself! Another leader is my Pastor, Kevin Gerald. He’s always looking for whats new and better. I’ll be honest, at first it irritated me. I dismissed the value of curiosity. I just wanted to “get the job done,” and get things to a good “steady” place.
What I soon learned is that my lack of curiosity caused anything I led to be in “maintenance mode”, but never moving forward.
“Curiosity pulls us into our Future!”
I’m encouraging all of you to raise your curiosity in 2012!
Why? (Im glad you asked!) Because: “Curiosity is the birthplace of innovation. And if we don’t innovate, we die!”
There are countless stories of organizations that got stuck in a past era and never got curious about new, better and more effective ways of doing things. When this happens, it’s a slow road to extinction!
4 Questions to Keep You Innovative in 2012
1. How do we make it better? Before you worry about new things, first ask how do we make our current “experience” better?
2. Is there a more effective way to do what we’re doing? Always pursue “Best Practices.” Never settle for last year’s excellence.
3. Is there something we should add or cut? Never be afraid to cut something that’s not working. Pruning brings growth. What NEW could you infuse into what your doing? Like Andy Stanely says “New always creates momentum”.
4. Who else can I bring into this conversation? Curiosity may be the birthplace of innovation, but collaboration is the incubator needed to help that idea mature and grow!
As you take the time to follow and stir up new curiosity Im praying for growth and advancement like never before in 2012!
