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Curious? You Should Be!

Michael J Gelb has written a fascinating book called, ‘How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci’. Leonardo is considered the greatest genius of all time, not only because of the depth of his knowledge but also the breadth of his work. This covered a whole spectrum of disciplines: he was a painter, architect, sculptor, engineer, inventor and scientist.

The book contains some very useful ideas that can be applied to the world of insight. In particular, it highlights seven important principles for success. The first of these deals with curiosity: that insatiable and unrelenting desire to know more about life.
 
What? Why? How? Where? Who?
Children are natural curious: they are always asking questions - which is something we should nurture. Similarly, Leonardo had an intense curiosity which strengthened rather than diminished as he grew older. This was even deeply embedded in his approach to his work.
 
For instance, when he carried out anatomical investigations, he typically dissected each part of the body from three different perspectives. Again, when he reviewed his paintings, he took different approaches: he used a mirror to look at them; he would go away and relax and then come and look at them again; and he would review them from a distance to check the perspective. He also always carried a journal or notebook to note down observations of everything around him.
 
So what can insight professionals learn from this?
  • Explore new approaches: We need to be open-minded and always eager to learn something new. Try to find different ways to look at a problem or a challenge. Explore the possible links that could be made between different types of information.
  • Ask challenging questions of any brief. Challenge any assumptions, including business rules and definitions. The more thoughtful and challenging you are upfront and the more you learn about the business challenges and options, the more you can contribute in terms of a solution.
  • Be curious about customers – Learn to ask questions - not only in formal research situations, but in real life. What do your customers do, need, want? Where are the gaps? How do they make choices? Try to look at things from the view of different people – e.g. different customer segments.
By the nature of our work, most insight professionals are naturally curious. Leonardo’s example should encourage us not to stifle our curiosity but to use this natural characteristic to the full.
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