Magical Curiosity

In response to Sibylle Stehli’s post, Why Curiosity matters in business.

She begins with this statement  Curiosity brings simplicity – I concur. This speaks even more deeply when we approach life as present-moment observers. When we’re not tangled in past narratives, future worries, or current anxieties and the tizz of the present dramas, we allow ourselves to be genuinely curious. We witness. We see through different lens.

Sibylle then says , “Things were simple then. I trusted and was open to where things would lead next.” Here what is mentioned or implied is trust, simplicity, and the unknown. These are not always easy to live out especially when life brings deep uncertainty. When I reflect on my younger days, I saw a gigantic doll, I pointed at it wanting it, without questioning where the money would come from or how it would happen. For me, life was indeed so much more simple as a child.

Sibylle also shares that she lost her curiosity and was thrust into the world of school, rules, and responsibility, where “there was no time for daydreaming.” How often, even as adults, do we find ourselves caught in rules, policies, and the constant cycle of work, work, work? The rigidity and overwhelming piles of “oh my gosh” moments that distract us. All too often, we become caught up in the mundane. Who, in this day and age, has time for childlike curiosity?  Perhaps , Me. You. All of us adults.

We  can find the time. We just have to choose to notice the magic.

But how do we apply this to business? At its core, curiosity is the desire to know, learn, or experience something new. Curiosity in business and childlike wonder seems like a clash right? Business is more strategy and structure and child-like wonder is playful and unbounded. 

So I threw in this question to  Artificial Intelligence.  What would child-like curiosity look like if it met business.  Let me share the ones that came up that I really liked the most.

‘Failure is reframed as learning.

Like a kid falling off a bike, you don’t stop. You adjust, laugh, and try again.

Connection fuels creation.

Curiosity about your customers leads to empathy. Curiosity about your team leads to better collaboration.

Play returns to the process.

Meetings include whiteboards full of doodles. Brainstorms have room for the absurd, the magical, and the impossible.

Rules are questioned, not just followed.

Just like a child might ask, “Who says I can’t color outside the lines?” You challenge norms and disrupt outdated systems to make space for something better.

Details are noticed with fresh eyes.

Children see wonder in the tiniest things. In business, that means paying attention to what others overlook : like the tone of an email, a customer’s pause, or a hidden need.’

So, wouldn’t you agree that child-like curiosity belongs in business? In a world that changes quickly, curiosity becomes the entrepreneur’s magic wand and or magnifying glass. Curiosity leads us back to simplicity, cutting through the noise and non-essentials to reveal the heart of what truly matters. Thank you for your post Sibylle.