The Importance Of Curiosity

Engineers get compensated for providing answers - don't they? Maybe, maybe not. Engineering is about solving problems - but to forge strong relationships and find solutions, it pays to ask lots of questions. Asking questions - and lots of them - is the only way to get to a workable solution to any problem, and it's the best way to build trust and rapport. A key point - make sure that questions lead quickly into a two-way conversation and don't have the questions feel like a barrage. Engineers also need to get more comfortable deliberately engaging with people who disagree with them and have a willingness and aptitude to probe them on their point of view.

Questioners have a high inquisitive and curiosity nature and level. Orit Gadiesh, chairman of Bain & Company, shares her thoughts on the importance of curiosity outside the workplace:

Once you start asking questions, it becomes part of the fabric of who you are. I love art and theater, and I read about 100 books a year - about business, philosophy, psychology, military history, geopolitical issues, whatever. At a dinner party, I'll always ask the guests next to me about their lines of work.

Of course I do these things for my own satisfaction, I strongly believe that having access to a multitude of outside perspectives makes me a better consultant. I allows me to relate to a greater variety of people and helps me think in new ways, which is not only about being smarter but also about recognizing patterns I've seen elsewhere.

As a natural questioner, I bring value to the boards I sit on, too. The most distinguished board is useless and does a real disservice to the organization, in my view, if the people on it don't ask the right questions. If you're not asking questions, you're not doing your job.