Why ‘Curiosity Killed the Cat’ Must Die

“Curiosity killed the cat” is probably one of the worst English sayings. As a business woman I am constantly rebelling against it.

I cannot envision progress, innovation, and social good without curiosity. Education is based on curiosity, entrepreneurship is based on curiosity, passion is based on curiosity. So why does curiosity get a bad rep?

The culture I come from, Romanian culture, considers asking too many questions to be rude. My family taught us that we do, we don’t ask, we don’t question. There may be a communist, dictatorship legacy there as well.

In general I am sure parents try to keep kids out of trouble by scaring them, telling them that being curious can lead to death. Or at least that’s the literal translation of “curiosity killed the cat.”

What does it mean though form a business perspective?

I think lack of curiosity is an instant killer of progress. Imagine a world where no one has any questions or dares to ask any questions. It would be an intellectual dictatorship. When we didn’t get curious as to why people could get home loans for twice of what they could repay, we payed dearly later.

In a new media world, curiosity brought us search engines, local business listings, customer reviews, online communities, stronger business partnerships. There are many solutions out there to help us promote our businesses better, to find new customers or clients, to build stronger relationships. It just takes asking how, where, why? When was the last time you asked yourself, “who is reading my email newsletter,” “why did the Facebook post from yesterday get so many responses when I didn’t expect it,” “What new customers can I find on Twitter?”

The answer to every question will bring new value to you and your business. So ask, ask ask! 🙂

What benefits do you see in being curious?