The Problem
“How do I get the people who work for me to be more curious?” asks Karen, CEO of a dental insurance company. “We need to constantly innovate, to be creative, to come up with new products new services and new ways to engage customers. For this to happen people have to be curious about a wide array of issues”
“They have to look across a broad horizon then connect the dots in new and unusual ways.” I respond.
Karen picks up the thread. “Yes. Here’s an example. People, the general public, are not as aware as they should be about oral health. We need to educate them. Teeth are critical to overall health, a sense of well-being and good performance, Did you know that one of nine children have a tooth ache so bad they can’t concentrate at school? Our mission and these messages are important. To reach people we need to be more aware. We need to look beyond the tunnel of our expertise and our business. If as CEO I’m the only one who is curious and connecting the dots, we will not succeed in the way we can and should.”
The solutions
- Appoint a Chief Curiosity Officer responsible for leading the effort.
- Naming an office with a seat at the leadership table signifies that curiosity is a critical function, equal to customer service, finance, and other company treasures.
- Establish a weekly “Be curious” topic and post it on the company blog. Make the topic of the week highly visible elsewhere as well. Set aside time and a curiosity room for employees to read articles, watch videos, view pictures, and engage in small group discussions. Encourage employees to engage in the blog post on-line discussion. If the idea takes off, you may want to consider engaging customers as well.
What would you recommend to the CEO? To her employees?