Why is your inner child the most important employee?

This is such an incredible time of year in Perth. Warmer days bring the promise of summer and winter coats are shaken off by spring’s possibilities. It is a time of optimism; it is also when I feel the closest to my childhood self. A feeling I try to hold onto especially when I’m at work. Why? Because there is a growing body of evidence that shows our ‘inner child’ may just be the most important member of an organisation.

Consider the qualities we find in young children; curiosity, exploration, imagination, fearlessness, honesty, and the constant unfiltered cavalcade of questions. The ‘whys’ and ‘what ifs’ that drive a child’s existence. Now consider the qualities of some of the best-known business leaders in the world. Richard Branson isn’t short on fearlessness or exploration, Elon Musk certainly maintains a healthy level of curiosity and it’s the ‘whys’ and ‘what ifs’ that have created the powerhouses of Google, Amazon and Uber.

If you have ever spent any length of time with a curious child, you’ll no doubt have answered what appears to be a million questions. Studies show that curiosity peaks at between the ages of 4 or 5 before steadily declining as we become more fearful and conscious of how others perceive us. By the time we’ve reached the work force many of us accept the status quo. That things are a certain way, and nothing can be done to facilitate real change. However, those people who let their inner child ask the ‘why’ question in a boardroom meeting or allow themselves to look at different ways to operate will become the innovators of today and tomorrow’s leaders. CEO of Google Eric Schmidt said, “We run this company on questions, not answers”. Asking questions creates new ways of thinking, challenges the status quo, and can lead to serious innovation and transformation.

Embracing our inner child requires us to step out of our comfort zones, enabling us to do things we might not have thought possible. The most innovative companies search for people who actively work at stretching themselves to learn new things, who are willing to be challenged and are not afraid to fail. These are the employees who ultimately succeed.

The question for us as leaders is how do we foster the ‘whys’ and ‘what ifs’?

Simple, we embrace our own inner child by asking questions, exploring possibilities, and demonstrating fearlessness to our staff. Then reward the curiosity of employees and facilitate innovation through positive reinforcement or by simply letting an employee get on with the task of executing a brilliant idea.

I’ve recently watched the inner child at work within our School. Every year St Stephen’s School partners with the City of Joondalup for the Little Feet Festival. This year our team decided to build an immersive, sensory experience full of furry fish and giant jelly fish. The concept was unlike anything the School had created previously and it challenged our team during its construction, but the result was worth every hot glue burn the team endured. Over 1000 children entered the underwater world with their little passports in hand, actively exploring, searching for the sea creatures they had to find and hollering in delight when they’d discovered all six. I watched adults light up as they read out fun facts on Western Blue Gropers and exclaim ‘I didn’t know that’ and I was left thinking how magical the whole day was. Time-poor parents were enjoying a precious Sunday with their children and our team had created an experience that woke up their inner child whilst facilitating learning, memories and connection with their own children. That is a true privilege to behold.

In 2024 I’ll be watching this same team get on with the task of executing a Guinness World Record attempt to celebrate our 40^th anniversary as a School. The idea the team have come up with is a logistical jigsaw involving nearly 2250 school children and, while I have my doubts, I’ll support their innovation, support their inner child, and help to facilitate the project because the rewards far outweigh the risk. As T.S Elliot famously said, ‘’Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go’’. A sentiment I think all successful leaders would agree with.