1. 1-Sentence-Summary:
1.1. A Curious Mind is an homage to the power of asking questions, showing you how being curious can change your entire life, from the way you do business, to how you interact with your loved ones, or even shape your country.
2. Favorite quote from the author:
2.1. "Life isn't about finding the answers, it's about asking the questions." - Brian Grazer
3. 3 lessons:
3.1. A rule of business is that whoever’s the most curious, wins.
3.1.1. Most people will tell you that business is hard. That it’s competitive. That you have to get your elbows out, toughen up, and try to overtake whoever’s in front of you.
3.1.2. But that’s not true.
3.1.2.1. You can take a much more cooperative approach, one that’s based on collaboration, not competition, and still win.
3.1.2.2. Whoever’s the most curious, wins. Curiosity not only fosters cooperation, but also connection.
3.1.3. If you’re genuinely curious about your employees’ lives, you’ll ask them questions accordingly.
3.1.4. Brian leads mostly by asking questions, instead of giving orders. Vice versa, his employees are supposed to ask him many questions also!
3.1.5. When you’re curious, people can explain and reflect on their work themselves.
3.1.5.1. This kind of meaningful conversation leads to bigger and better breakthroughs than a mere “do this now” approach.
3.1.6. The same holds true for your customers.
3.1.6.1. Who would you rather buy a car from? The dealer who just touts his latest offers and how great the cars are, or someone who asks you why you want to buy a car, what you need it for, where you’ll go with it, and what you’re looking for?
3.1.6.2. The only way to satisfy your customer is to find out exactly what they want in each case and then serve them the best way you can – and you can’t do that without being curious.
3.2. Everyone loves being asked and answering questions, including your loved ones.
3.2.1. Think about someone you’ve known most or all of your life. How much do you really know about them?
3.2.1.1. Chances are there’s still tons left to discover. By showing interest, you can improve your relationships even with the best of your friends and loved ones.
3.2.2. Saving a deteriorating relationship from falling apart can be as simple as remembering one specific thing your partner told you and then asking them about it.
3.2.2.1. “Hey, how’d the presentation go today? Were you nervous?” shows you remember and are curious about how their story evolves.
3.2.3. Similarly, questions make you much better at connecting with people.
3.2.3.1. Everyone loves being asked questions and to talk about themselves, so instead of rambling about yourself at the next party, start asking new people all about their story.
3.3. When it’s time to stop asking and start doing, keep a seal on your curiosity.
3.3.1. For example, after Brian Grazer had the idea for the TV show 24 from one of his many curiosity conversations (weekly meetings with professionals from all kinds of fields), he had to switch and commit to now bringing the show to life.
3.3.2. Similarly, his expertise in the film industry now tells him when he’s found a movie that deserves to be made – even if it’s not going to be a mass hit.
3.3.2.1. Frost/Nixon and Rush are great examples of such movies. They were well written, and the stories of the post-Watergate Nixon interviews and Niki Lauda and James Hunt’s Formula One rivalry in the 70s deserved to be told.
3.3.2.2. So Brian went ahead and made them, ignoring what people told him.
3.3.3. He had to tone down his curiosity for a while, but in the end both movies got a lot of critical acclaim, in spite of not being commercial successes.
3.3.4. The only way to create something of value is to ignore new ideas every now and then – it’s up to you to know when that is.