Curious and Considered

Have you ever considered how you respond to questions? Do you respond spontaneously? Do you take time to consider your answer? Do you say, “Let me get back to you”? I recently spent a few days with some of South Africa's thought leaders. I was struck by the manner in which many of them responded to questions. Before speaking, they would construct their responses on paper and then eloquently respond to the question in a logical and convincing manner. In one incident, a response was required immediately. Instead of succumbing to the pressure to answer, the respondent simply asked for some time to consider her response. Her response was amazing.

Entrepreneurs are renowned for their "gift of the gab", their ability to enter high pressure environments - unprepared - and to pull it off. The evidence shows us that entrepreneurs can do this for a while but, at some point, they reach the ceiling of their talent in relation to the new, more demanding, environments in which they find themselves. No longer can they waltz in, deliver an impromptu speech, and waltz out. As they move up the ladder of entrepreneurship, the demand for quality of content increases. The entrepreneur now needs to research and prepare before making his next speech. The stakes are higher and the critics more powerful.

Many entrepreneurs find that they are unable to transform themselves in response to the new demands that success presents. The result is either that their growth reaches a ceiling or, worse, they reach a pinnacle, followed by a decline. In systems theory – a topic in which I am very interested – healthy systems need constantly to be acquiring and adapting to new information. Systems that cannot take on new information become redundant and begin to decay until they die. Entrepreneurs, too, are too beholden to the laws of systems theory. As an entrepreneur, it is important to remain curious to things you do not know. A mind, that is open to new ideas and information, will provide you with the platform to grow into the increasingly demanding roles that will present themselves as you grow your business.

This Week’s Challenge

Be Curious