Dr. Diane Hamilton on What Gets in the Way of Curiosity

Dr. Diane Hamilton is one of those people that came on my radar and just didn’t stay off of it. She is one of the leading experts when it comes to studying curiosity in the world. She’s written multiple books about curiosity, she’s the creator of the curiosity code index which tries to help us understand what actually gets in the way of our ability to stay curious, and for that I am extremely grateful. I took the curiosity code index, and actually the focus of a lot of our conversation today is us unpacking my scores and her explaining the different factors that cause us to perhaps retreat from curiosity. She’s a thought leader in other fields, including leadership, sales, marketing, management, engagement, personality, and, as I mentioned, curiosity. She has spent time with some of the best leaders in the world. So, today’s conversation certainly focuses on what she’s learned, what she’s studied, what she’s researched, and how we can apply it to our lives. She’s a keynote speaker that’s also been featured in a multitude of publications that you’ve heard of, such as Ink and Harvard Business Review. If you are someone who’s interested in curiosity, perhaps you’ve seen her speak at a company or at a conference or on other podcasts.

Diane had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“I spent years researching and studying what happens to curiosity [over the lifespan].”

“Both curiosity and creativity tend to peak at age 5 and then diminish.”

“This fixed mindset is something that will shut you down completely.”

“It’s challenging to meet everyone in the way they want to be met.”

“You can’t teach all kids the same way.”

“You rely on the foundational aspects of what you know, but you need to continue to grow.”

“A lot of people are afraid of the ramifications of stepping outside of what’s comfortable.”

“We don’t want to be the one not doing what everybody else is doing.”

“There’s no better way to learn something than to teach it.”

“For a culture to be curious, it has to come from the top down.”

“[Personality assessments] bring up all of these ideas to think about.”

“Each year, you meet people that open up new ideas for you.”

“You just don’t know who you’re going to meet that might change your whole trajectory.”

“You don’t know what you don’t know until you try something.”

“Nobody wants to look like they didn’t prepare.”

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, it’s a pretty boring room.”

“With technology, information overload is a real thing for people.”

“It’s easier to get along with the group.”

Additionally, you can follow Diane across social media @drdianehamilton and purchase her books, Cracking the Curiosity Code and Curiosity Unleashed, anywhere books are sold. You can also find everything you need to know about Diane on her website.

Thank you so much to Diane for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.