{"id":804,"date":"2013-08-21T16:04:43","date_gmt":"2013-08-21T16:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=804"},"modified":"2013-08-21T16:04:43","modified_gmt":"2013-08-21T16:04:43","slug":"how-being-curious-contributes-to-your-small-business-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/how-being-curious-contributes-to-your-small-business-success\/","title":{"rendered":"How being curious contributes to your small business success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smb-tech-trends\"<\/a>Anyone who has children or is around them a lot knows that from ages two to five years one of their favorite words is \u201cwhy.\u201d We delight in a child\u2019s constant quest to know why things are the way they are \u2013 even it if tests our patience not to mention our knowledge.<\/p>\n

As we get older, we find ourselves asking why less often, in part because we know more. But could it also mean, we\u2019re less interested or less curious? \u00a0After all no one knows everything. Are we not asking why enough?<\/p>\n

Einstein said, \u201cThe important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.\u201d\u00a0 Geoffrey James would agree.<\/p>\n

James, who writes the Sales Source blog on Inc.com, asserts that you can\u2019t be successful in business without curiosity, and he addresses the issue in his recent post, \u201cThe Business Value of Curiosity.\u201d James considers curiosity a necessary tool that you need in most everything you do. He cites seven ways that having curiosity can impact your small business or professional career. Here are some of them:<\/p>\n

“Building customer relationships:\u00a0<\/i> People are drawn to those who show interest in them.\u00a0 Having an abiding fascination in others give you the opportunity to learn new things about them, thereby making a deeper connection.”<\/i><\/p>\n

“Solving customer problems:<\/i> It’s a truism that customers are looking for solutions to their problems.\u00a0 It’s only possible to create a meaningful solution if you’re motivated by true curiosity about what’s actually going on and why those problems recur.<\/i><\/p>\n

And about motivating employees:<\/p>\n

“<\/i>Some bosses think of employees as cogs in a corporate machine. However, if you want to get the best out of people, you must be curious about their dreams and desires<\/i>.”<\/i><\/p>\n

You can read the rest of James\u2019 points at: http:\/\/www.inc.com\/geoffrey-james\/the-business-value-of-curiosity.html<\/a><\/p>\n

James message is a valuable one. I think of curiosity as a habit and one that you never stop cultivating. We should never get too busy or too comfortable in our way of thinking to stop asking questions. And the \u00a0key is to ask questions with a tone of curiosity versus using an interrogative tone.\u00a0 That way, you get much more honest input from people as they are not on the defensive.<\/p>\n

How has being curious made a difference in your small business?<\/p>\n

Help us get out the vote for 2013 Small Business Influencer Award <\/b><\/h3>\n

\"Vote-2013-125x125-red<\/a>It\u2019s an honor to be among the nominees for the 2013 Small Business Influencer Awards<\/a>. Voting is underway and continues until September 9. You can vote daily until then.\u00a0 We appreciate your vote!<\/a><\/p>\n

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Anyone who has children or is around them a lot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[510],"tags":[637,938,580],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}