Billy Connolly, now aged 81 and retired from stand-up comedy, is one of the greatest comedians ever, a masterful of what is often called “observational comedy”.
Right now I am a couple of hours into joyously listening to his recently published autobiography, “Windswept and Interesting“. If you choose to listen, please do listen rather than read, he narrates the audiobook as if he is simply randomly recollecting his life in vaguely chronological order, with so, so many stories and observations peppered in it. In fact, I would not be surprised if he simply sat in front of a mic for eight hours and then said “there you go, that’s a book”!
Anyway, one word came to me again and again as I listened: Curiosity.
What has made Billy truly elite as a comedian is his curiosity for life and for people. It shines through all through the early years of his life in the first hours of the audiobook. As a child he was constantly observing and asking questions, a trait he made into a career as he was also able to make people laugh.
In leadership then, as a student of elite leaders and elite mindset, one consistent trait I observe is an insatiable curiosity.
Be curious.