The Surprising Trait That Makes You a Better Parent and Advisor

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My consulting business is expanding its team of writers in response to increased demand for SEO services. For each SEO client, we need to generate two original blogs a month, with a length of 750-1,000 words. Because of regulatory requirements, all material facts need to be hyperlinked to a reliable source.

This work requires a specific skill set. The applicant must be an excellent writer, with an in-depth knowledge of finance subjects.

I posted the job requirements on a popular website for experienced writers, listed my requirements and waited for the responses.

You can learn a lot from my experience.

The responses

I received more than 50 responses. All were from writers based in the U.S. Their qualifications were impressive, ranging from one Ph. D to many who had published extensively on well-known investing-oriented websites and business publications.

All of them were very eager to be hired. The primary attraction was the consistency of the work, which would provide a steady income. This is a benefit to freelancers whose workflow can be inconsistent.

With one exception (discussed below), the responses followed a set format. The applicants discussed their backgrounds, expertise, portfolio of work and why they felt they would be a good fit for this job.

The exception

One candidate took an entirely different approach. Her e-mail provided a link to her website where she indicated I could learn more about her “if I was interested.”

She then posed a series of questions, which she said would help her determine if “she was the right fit for this position.”

She wanted to know the relationship of SEO to the writing assignments. She was “curious” about whether she could take the assignments in a different direction or change the emphasis if “the research generated a more interesting angle.” She asked other questions about our business, whether we were looking to scale, what would happen if she couldn’t handle the volume, etc.

Why she stood out

She stood out for two reasons:

1. She made it about me and not about her; and

2. She was genuinely curious about what we were trying to achieve.

Curiosity and parenting

There’s a lot of research on how teaching your children to be curious benefits them.

One study found that a “hungry mind” is a “core determinant of individual differences in academic achievement.”

The Mayo Clinic believes curious children are more likely to learn, retain information and stay in school.

There’s evidence that teaching children to be curious cultivates an active mind, inspires persistence, counteracts self-absorption and sets up your child for long-term success.

Do you want to be a better parent? Teach your children how to be curious.

Other benefits

There are other benefits to being curious.

It can improve your ability to recall facts.

It can increase your patience and make you a better problem solver.

It fosters creativity.

One survey of over 700 CEOs identified curiosity as the number-one trait they saw in successful people.

More AUM. Better Relationships.

Guaranteed

My micro-learning course will increase your AUM and deepen your relationships.

If not, I’ll give you a 100% refund of the $29.95 cost.

Volume discounts are available.

More Information

How curious are you?

Most people are like the applicants for the writer position I posted. It’s all about us.

To train yourself to become more curious, there’s a lot of advice you can read online.

I can distill my research to two simple suggestions:

1. Switch your speech pattern from conveying information to eliciting it, by asking questions. When you get an answer, ask for more information or clarification.

2. Insert this phrase into your vocabulary and start using it when appropriate: “I’m curious about...”

Dan trains executives and employees in the lessons based on the research in his latest book, Ask: How to Relate to Anyone. His online course, Ask: Increase Your Sales. Deepen Your Relationships, is currently available.