The baseball regular season has come to an end and while it feels like the Colorado Rockies have been out of the playoff race since Memorial Day, I took my son out to a game last week.  Despite the abysmal state of the team and the fact that baseball isn’t my favorite sport, I still enjoy going to the ballpark a couple times each year.  Add the fact that tickets aren’t hard to come by and the weather was still beautiful - it was a great chance to spend some quality time with Ajay.  While we didn’t catch a foul ball, we did grab Aramark’s special edition menu item, exclusively sold at Coors’ Field this year -  “The Polar Pasta”.

This dessert dish is a pile of noodle like strands of vanilla ice cream, topped with chocolate donut holes, strawberry syrup, and chopped mint - made to look like a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.  After gobbling it up in no time, we decided it was a hit and the whimsical nature made it even more fun to eat.  I love the creative aspect of taking a dish and making it look like something it is not.  This challenge has showed up on numerous cooking shows like Top Chef and the Netflix hit series “Is It Cake?”  When done well, the surprise aspect delivers in a way that leaves the judges and audience in disbelief.

From a leadership aspect, this idea inspired me to reflect on a great leadership characteristic - curiosity. I started thinking about the things in my life that I take at face value.  The people, companies, processes, and information that I quickly assess and accept for that initial opinion I form.  While this rapid evaluation can be helpful in high stakes situations when time is of the essence, I’m not sure it serves us in our day to day activities.  I know when I am willing to challenge my initial assumptions and dig to gain deeper understanding, I usually end up learning something new, gaining a better perspective on the situation, and having more appreciation for whatever is in front of me.  Even if my initial assumption was close to being right, the validation gives me additional confidence to push forward in the direction I was headed.

Leaning into curiosity drives us into unknown territory and closes the gap between what we know and what we potentially need to know.  But it can be difficult, because in order to be curious, we have to be willing to admit we don’t know something. We must second guess our initial thoughts and ask questions.  We have to be vulnerable enough to set our ego aside in pursuit of growth.   

By being curious we can go beyond the surface.  We can find out what is real and what is not.  And we can avoid making false assumptions.  When we embrace curiosity, we also strengthen our ability to be empathetic and in turn we build deeper and more meaningful relationships with the people in our lives.  So, as we take inspiration from a dessert made to look like a classic Italian dish this week, my question for you is; What is the “Polar Pasta” in your life?  That person, situation, or thing that appears to be one thing, but in fact is something totally different?

MIBE Awards are open!  In addition to Heart Leaders of the Year, Best Employee Recognition Program, and Best Activation of Mission or Core Values - we also have Best Internal Company Event.  We want to hear about the awesome events you are putting on for your team, so make sure to gather those photos and submit, you might just be up on stage receiving an award at our annual MIBE Summit in January!