“The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size.”
– Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955),
Last week, on my drive from Des Moines to Milwaukee, I caught up on my favorite podcast — during which Mike Housholder mentioned curiosity and imagination. Like he often does, Mike got me thinkin’ deeper about two of my favorite topics, curiosity and imagination, and how they tend to make us better, in business and beyond.
In sales, curiosity is table stakes. It leads us to connect more deeply and understand more clearly. It proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we care at least as much about the person on the other side of the dialogue as we do about ourselves and our own position. Curiosity allows us to challenge the status quo in a way that either helps us understand or leads to a better way.
In leadership, curiosity allows us to connect – beyond the reporting relationship. “Pat, I’m curious, why do you do __________ the way you do? Is that something you came by consciously, or is it a habit you’ve picked up without going deeper into it?” “Robbie, tell me how you feel about the way customers are responding to the new _________? I’m curious, do you have any thoughts on whether it’s working the way we thought it would?” Curiosity allows us to understand the perspectives of the people we lead, and brings us one closer to where the game is actually being played.
Imagination is just one letter shy of including the word “magic” within its boundaries. I don’t think that’s an accident, and no one seized the point better than Sir Ken Robinson from this 2013 DD post.
I’ve long believed that ideas are the currency of Difference Makers and story-telling is the means by which that currency gets invested — and imagination is at the root of both of those fundamental beliefs.
In sales, imagination helps us paint pictures that put the buyer in a relatable place to consider change. Imagination is the place where features and benefits take a back seat to a clear picture of a better tomorrow.
In leadership, imagination removes us from the chains of “what we’ve always done.” Imagination allows us to consider new scenarios and outcomes. Led by a “What if…?” mindset, imagination leads us more quickly to actionable ideas and away from dopey ones.
Together, curiosity and imagination are key tools in the hands of Difference Makers — and a great means of super-sizing our minds, and those of the folks with whom we deal.
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