Children 14 months to 5 years, talking with adults · Chouinard, Harris & Maratsos 2007
Children ask 107 questions an hour on average. Adults almost none. The decline is learned, and the barriers behind it can be taken down. Why So Curious is a book, a framework and a practice for people who want to ask better questions in the age of AI. And think, decide and lead more clearly because of it.
Three shifts that change everything.
AI answers almost any factual question in seconds. Value is shifting to the people who can ask the questions no one has defined yet.
According to Anthropic's Economic Index, nearly half of all occupations already use AI for at least a quarter of their tasks. Most at risk: routine cognitive work.
Some use AI as a curiosity amplifier and get better. Others use it as a shortcut machine and become replaceable. The tool is neutral - the question decides.
Curious
A book about the day you stopped asking why.
- →Why adults stop asking. The engine is intact. Someone just turned off the ignition.
- →The BLOCK/SPARK framework: the 5 curiosity killers and their 5 antidotes. For teams and for your own head.
- →Stories, not pop psychology: from Pixar to Microsoft to the classroom where it all began.
That’s where curiosity goes to die. Not with a bang. With a briefcase click.
BLOCK & SPARK.
First understand what blocks curiosity - then create the conditions that spark it back to life.
The five curiosity killers that suffocate questions in teams and minds - before they are ever asked.
- B - Blame Culture
- L - Lack of Time
- O - Overwhelm
- C - Comfort Zone
- K - Knowledge Hoarding
The five conditions under which curiosity reliably returns. They make curiosity the path of least resistance.
- S - Safety
- P - Permission
- A - Attention
- R - Rest
- K - Kindness
Where are you on the curiosity scale?
10 questions. 2 minutes. An honest assessment: one question per BLOCK barrier and SPARK condition, plus concrete next steps.
Talks that move rooms.
Signature talks on curiosity, AI and the art of better questions. For conferences, leadership offsites and industry events.
What else lives under WSC.
Thomas Hefke
In 2014 I bought one book. In 2019 it was 101 in a single year. Today the library holds 653 books I have read, 550 of them with notes.
On Instagram I share them as @thefke with 47,809 people. In my day job I am a consultant for hotels and AI, a speaker and an author.
- books read
- 653
- with notes
- 550
- followers on Instagram
- 47,809
Stay curious.
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Thomas' complete library: 653 read, 550 with notes, highlights and core learnings. Free to browse, sorted into 35 categories.
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