Be an investigator of ideas

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This week we’re quoting Jack McCauley (Co-Founder of Oculus, Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley)

What McCauley said:

“If I doubt something, or something seems like hysteria, I will go and do the reading and the work myself.”

We love this.

Why?

Because it’s something we recognise in so many of the innovators, entrepreneurs and thought leaders we speak to at LEAP:

A determination to follow their own minds, trust in their capacity to figure things out, and not assume something’s right or wrong just because the rest of the world says it is.

Be an investigator

Marcus Aurelius said:

“Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.”

And McCauley’s approach to developing technology is based on that investigative mindset. On not taking things at face value, but instead taking it upon yourself to find out what might be possible.

Different entrepreneurs describe this in different ways

LEAP 2023 speaker Steven Bartlett (Founder of Social Chain, Podcaster, and TV Personality), for example, describes his own investigative mindset as a willingness to fail fast.

“That’s very much central to my philosophy in life,” he said, “to be able to respond to whatever opportunity presents itself today, and to be agile, and to move very quickly, and to out-fail your competition.”

And to fail means to try. To experiment. To use your own skills and investigative ability to develop something and find out if it works.

Curious minds and motivated to investigate ideas

The drive to question information and ideas that are presented to you and find out for yourself what’s beneath them comes down to curiosity. And curiosity is a trait that has been linked to success, time and time again.

• In a survey of more than 700 CEOS for his book Corner Office, author Adam Bryant found that curiosity was the number one answer he received when he asked about the qualities they see most in people who succeed.
• A study by analytics and software solutions firm SAS found that 72% of managers believe curiosity is a valuable trait in employees – with over half saying it’s more important than intelligence.
• A number of studies have shown that people’s level of curiosity (determined through questionnaires that ask how much they crave new information, and how they feel about novel problems) can predict their academic success independently of IQ.

So cultivate curiosity – in yourself and your team

The curious are the people who make new discoveries.

They’re the ones who find the next big thing; who stand strong in the face of criticism and doubt; and who explore new frontiers in science and technology.

Be curious. Hire curious. And be an investigator of ideas.

Read the blog: Is anything possible? Playing with AI

Watch the video: Anything is Possible, with Jack McCauley

Before you stop reading...👀

Get your copy of the two latest articles of LEAP's quarterly digital magazine - LEAP Forward ⬇

Read the article on Powering Sustainability Through Tech to discover how tech is revolutionising our approach to environmental challenges, from renewable energy solutions to smart cities.

Make sure to also check out LEAP Forward’s article on Saudi Arabia-based deep tech start-up - Mirai Solar, that is disrupting the global greenhouse market with its innovative foldable retractable shade cloths.

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Catch you next week,
Richard McKeon
Marketing Director

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