Intense Curiosity and Fierce Joy in Problem Solving
Isn’t That a Made Up Word?
Yep.
But so are: advertorial, listicle, bromance, webinar, metaverse, froyo – even email is a word made from mashing together two other words.
They’re called portmanteaus, and they’re all made up by clever creative people looking to stretch the boundaries of the English language. English author, poet and well-known wordsmith Lewis Carroll said they contain “two meanings packed into one word.”
We coined the word furiosity because no other single word captured this complex professional characteristic we value so much in FSM team members. And because the phrase “the desire to solve problems, reveal insights, explore new ideas and create solutions with joy, enthusiasm and urgency” looks terrible on a T-shirt.
Elements of Furiosity: the Math of Excellence
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize winner and unapologetic sock-hater
In deference to Albert Einstein, we’ll approach the concept of furiosity in a very math-like expression:
Fierce Curiosity + (Joy, Enthusiasm & Urgency) = Furiosity
Let’s examine each term separately before calculating the full sum of the equation.
Curiosity > (Intelligence, Control & Passion)
“No one is dumb who is curious. The people who don’t ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astrophysicist, author and vanguard of cool nerdiness
The drive to learn new things is quite powerful. No matter what your IQ is, no matter how much self-control you exhibit, no matter how passionate you are – curiosity can take you further. Being genuinely curious about what caused a problem leads to novel approaches for solving it. It also supersedes the ego, leading the curious to seek input from others who may have a different perspective on the problem.
Qualities like passion and intelligence can backfire and inadvertently sideline the problem-solving process. But curiosity calls us deeper into the problem, nudging us down unknown paths and opening our minds to unexpected possibilities.
That’s the first element of furiosity. It requires another component to add up to its total value.
∑ (Joy+Enthusiasm+Urgency) = ∞
“A sure sign of a soul-based workplace is excitement, enthusiasm, real passion; not manufactured passion, but real involvement.” – David Whyte, Irish-English poet, philosopher and inveterate vest wearer
Digging into a problem with urgency and enthusiasm may seem like an intimidating combo – stubbornly unable to just let it go. But when you add joy to the equation, it elevates beyond the sum of its parts.
It’s rare to face challenges with a truly joyful spirit. That’s because many of us become blinded by challenges, duped into thinking they’ll end up overcoming us. Joy brings an attitude of hope – a clear certitude that a solution exists, perhaps on the other side of that next stumbling block.
This kind of resilience in the face of frustration spurs the possessor of furiosity to stay with a problem to its conclusion, refusing to abandon it even if that’s the easier choice.
We allow space for Furiosity at FSM by:
- Creating a culture that embraces “How?” over “Can’t”
- Holding ourselves to a standard that transcends the obvious and predictable
- Understanding that applied wisdom resides in “Why?” not just “What?”
Furiosity in Action: an FSM Exemplar
“Curiosity gets people excited. Curiosity leads to new ideas, new jobs, new industries.” – Anne Sweeney, American businesswoman, former president of Disney-ABC Television Group and The Hollywood Reporter’s 2012 “Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment”
Every January, we hold an in-house awards ceremony we call the FS-Emmys. (Say it aloud; it’s cute.) We present a trophy for each core value to a team member who has embodied that value’s essence in an extraordinary way throughout the previous year.
The 2024 winner of the Furiosity Award was Erica Sams, one of our Digital Marketing Strategists. She spends a great deal of time developing SEO strategies, reporting on various metrics and accomplishing other aspects of digital marketing.
Comments from her colleagues were included in her award presentation. They included phrases like:
- Erica is eager to teach, to learn and to challenge both herself and her peers.
- From researching new platforms to improve our level of work to digging into data to get to the bottom of a problem, she is always willing to jump in to help figure out a problem no matter what it is!
- Every time I see her she’s trying to figure out how to do something…better.
When asked how she defines furiosity for herself, Erica said, “It’s a drive to learn new things – things I don’t necessarily need to know or that fall within my job description. I’ll look up terms or processes to gain at least a basic understanding on my own before then asking a colleague for further insight or possibilities.”
That commitment to taking responsibility for the resolution of an issue – combined with the initiative of educating herself before asking for help – is the very definition of furiosity.
Push Boundaries & Explore New Territory With FSM
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” Dorothy Parker, American poet, playwright and godmother of snark
FSM marketers are incurably curious. Whether we’re tracking industry trends, testing out new technologies or digging into a client’s origin story, our curiosity is one of our most valuable assets. And when it expands to the magnitude of furiosity, our work becomes downright formidable. Reach out to harness our furiosity for your brand’s elevation.
