To Be a Kid Again

The moment we stop being students may be the moment we stop growing.

A few weeks ago, I was on vacation in Jamaica with my bride, Sandy, as well as our now grown-up twin boys, Drew and Mitch. One of the funny things about being a parent is that sometimes it’s hard to see them as independent, fully functioning, almost 24-year-old adults, rather than the small humans I remember from the early years. One of the things I vividly remember about childhood is how insanely curious they were about, well, everything. As we talked throughout the week, it was clear they are still just as curious as they always have been, and I hope they never lose that trait.

I’m focused on curiosity because I started noticing something a few years ago: the more successful people become, the less curious they often seem to be.

Before you stop reading in irritation with me, I’m not suggesting success makes people less intelligent or anything of the sort. In fact, I’d argue the opposite, as many people I’m silently thinking about are incredibly smart. They’ve built insanely successful businesses, become subject-matter experts, and earned the respect of their peers in the industry.

What strikes me, and the subject of this blog, is something different. At some point, people seem to stop asking questions. They stop exploring ideas outside the branded merchandise bubble, quit seeking out perspectives that might challenge their own, and refuse to read books that don’t have an obvious connection to their business. I think I could sum it up by saying they stop being students and start seeing themselves exclusively as teachers.

To be clear, I don’t believe this is a sign of arrogance; I think it’s because people have the crutch of “busy” to lean on.

In the world of branded merchandise, we reward some very specific things: activity, responsiveness, execution, and people who can answer questions quickly, solve problems efficiently, and keep projects moving in the right direction. Obviously, these are all valuable, if not necessary, skills. The problem is that curiosity doesn’t look productive in the moment.

Reading a book about hospitality doesn’t seem likely to help you sell more branded merch. Listening to a podcast about behavioral psychology doesn’t appear to have much to do with client retention. Learning about creativity from a music producer, leadership from a restaurateur, or discipline from a long-distance runner can feel like a distraction from the work begging for your attention.

Yet some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about marketing, branding, leadership, and business have come from sources that have nothing to do with branded backpacks or logoed t-shirts:

• I’ve learned about service from Danny Meyer.

• I’ve learned about creativity from Rick Rubin.

• I’ve learned about motivating people from Jimmy Johnson.

• I’ve learned about standing for something from Roy Spence.

• I’ve learned about managing personalities from Ted Templeman.

• I’ve learned about setting realistic expectations from running.

The common theme running through this very disparate tapestry is my continual curiosity. In my experience, curiosity begins when I recognize a gap between what I know and what I don’t. That’s the moment I become fully aware that there’s more to learn. It’s a simple principle, but I fear it’s becoming increasingly rare.

Today, we have immediate access to more information than at any point in human history. If we don’t know something, we can Google it in seconds. AI can answer questions, generate ideas, summarize articles, and provide recommendations almost instantly. Ironically, all that easy access to information often creates the illusion that we’re learning when we’re really just consuming. Curiosity isn’t about collecting answers, it’s about asking questions - and that’s an important distinction.

The people I admire most aren’t the ones who know (or think they know) everything. They’re the ones who are still genuinely interested in learning, they ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore ideas that don’t have an obvious or immediate payoff.

In other words, they’re curious. And, more germane to this blog, I fervently believe curiosity is becoming one of the most underrated competitive advantages in business.

• The best marketers are curious about human behavior.

• The best salespeople are curious about their customers and their industries.

• The best leaders are curious about what motivates people.

• The best entrepreneurs are curious about how the world is changing.

In other words, they don’t just seek information; they seek understanding. This is so critically important in an industry like ours because we all have access to the same products, work with the same suppliers, and have access to the same technology. The real differentiator here isn’t what we know today as much as it’s our willingness to keep learning tomorrow. This is exactly why I worry less about AI replacing people and more about people replacing their curiosity with certainty.

I don’t know what the future of business looks like, how technology will evolve, what new challenges we will face individually or as an industry, or what changes are waiting around the next corner. What I do know is this: the people who continue asking questions will have an advantage over those who think they already have all the answers.

So read the book, listen to the podcast, explore the topic that has nothing to do with your job, and ask the question that nobody else is asking. That curiosity is the fuel that makes growth possible and might make you feel like the inquisitive kid you once were.