Curiosity

“Any questions?”

And no one puts their hand up.

I can’t stand it.

Is anyone else addicted to asking that first question?

Or is it just me who is uncontrollably curious?

You know the awkward feeling.

That silence in a public place, when someone who has been holding court pauses and asks an audience if they have any questions.

I absolutely can’t stand it.

So my hand shoots up, long before my brain engages, and so starts the process of reverse-engineering a question to fill the deafening void of momentary silence.

But the problem isn’t searching for a question.

It’s distilling the 100 that I have in my mind down to 1.

It’s our human nature to understand things, to seek answers, to explore the unknown, to learn and gain wisdom from others.

From Socrates' belief that “wonder is the beginning of wisdom” to Aristotle’s conviction that all humans by nature desire to know, curiosity has long been seen not as a luxury, but a foundational driver of human progress.

In business, curiosity fuels innovation, anticipates risk, and challenges assumptions before the market does.

Modern research backs this ancient wisdom: Harvard Business Review studies show that curious leaders foster more adaptive, collaborative, and high-performing cultures.

At the heart of any meaningful transformation, whether personal or professional, lies a simple question: “What don’t I yet know?”

The answers are out there, waiting to be teased out.

So go on, be that person to ask the first question.

I promise you, it feels epic.