At family gatherings, there’s always that quiet cousin.

They’re in the corner, head down in a book. They don’t say much. In fact, they’re easy to overlook.

Yes, we all love them … they just don’t get much airtime. 

In the hustle and bustle - when the voices are loud and everyone’s following the same well-worn path of conversation - it’s easy to miss them.

But then, when the moment comes…

It’s the quiet cousin who notices what no one else did.

Who asks the question that shifts the conversation.

Who points out the answer that no one saw.

Huzzah for the quiet cousin! 

Could curiosity be the quiet cousin in your team? 

Lately, I’ve been working with teams on Commercial Curiosity - helping them prime, aim and work curiosity at work and in their commercial relationships. My conviction is that while curiosity is almost universally appreciated, it’s also easy to ignore - like the quiet cousin. 

It gets crowded out by efficiency, conformity and fear. 

Which is ironic. Because curiosity may be the team’s ultimate advantage. As Jeff Wetzler puts it, “In a world where information is abundant but insight remains scarce, curiosity may be the ultimate competitive advantage.” 

Without genuine curiosity - and the courage to pursue it - we get stuck on the same well-worn path. With the same old results. 

So, what if we created more space for curiosity? What if we encouraged the team to lean into it?

Twelve months from now, could that be the difference between déjà vu… or celebrating progress you didn't think possible?