Curiosity Killed the Cat (But Got the Employee Promoted)

I love trivia. I get really into local pub trivia games. I could listen to podcasts about books and movies and true crime for hours. I’m endlessly fascinated by tiny tidbits of information. I wouldn’t call it useless information because, though I don’t use my extensive knowledge of rabies in my daily work life, the sense of curiosity I have developed over the years from my love of trivia has made me a better employee as a whole.

Of course it would be cruel to talk about trivia and not ask a few questions. All questions are business-related because that’s the field SkillPath is in, and all the answers will be at the end of this post. So don’t scroll to the bottom until you’re done answering each question. Unless, of course, you want to cheat. I mean, I can’t stop you. But you’ll know what you did. You’ll know.

1. What was Google originally called?
2. What year was Facebook launched?
   1. 2003
   2. 2004
   3. 2006
3. The song “Happy Birthday” is under a copyright: True or False.
4. Robert Chesebrough ate a spoonful of his invention every day until he died. What did he invent?
5. Wal-Mart averages a profit of $20,000 every:
   1. Minute
   2. Hour
   3. Day

Types of Curiosity

I bet, now that you’re done with the quiz, you want to scroll right down to the bottom to see the answers (if you haven’t already). If you’re anything like me, you’re curious. You might be a little competitive. You want to know if your answers are correct. If that’s true, congratulations! Curiosity is an amazing thing that can help you succeed in your career.

First of all, you need to recognize the different types of curiosity in order to utilize them. There are two types: D and I. D-type is when you’re curious about a topic because you need certain knowledge to succeed at a task; you seek answers to questions because you need to. I-type is simply being curious for curiosity’s sake. Once the D-type curiosity is depleted, workers run the risk of becoming complacent. I know everything I need to know, so I can stop thinking. While that may sound nice to some of you out there who are feeling overwhelmed at the moment, humans are naturally curious creatures. Eventually you will get bored without something new to think about.

Why I-Type Curiosity Is Important

That’s where I-type curiosity comes in. Once you’re done learning your role, you can start poking around. Curiosity is an incredibly important trait for employees to have. It can lead to creative solutions and a willingness to learn many different roles (which leads to a greater understanding of the business as a whole). Curious employees are less likely to become complacent or burn out because there’s always something new to learn. In short: expanding your focus has positive side effects for you and your company.

One way you can encourage I-type curiosity in yourself is by asking around. Are you friends with someone outside your department? Do you know what they do to keep the company running? Or you can look internally and examine your own practices. You have daily duties and rules you need to follow. Have you ever stopped to wonder why the status quo is the way it is? Maybe there are a few outdated practices you could work on improving. 

Curious workers are vital to a company. They help drive innovation by asking why. So get out there. Ask questions. And maybe go to a local game of trivia. Call it professional development.   

Answers:

1 – BackRub.

2 – b. 2004.

3 – True. Warner Music owns the rights. Sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill wrote the song in 1893, and it is the most recognized song in the English language according to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records.

4 – Vaseline. Old Bob here died at 96, though, so maybe he was on to something.

5 – a. Minute. Wal-Mart makes $40 million a day.