As a proud Penn State alum, I wasn't exactly sure how I'd feel standing next to the Panther Shrine at Pitt a few weekends ago. 🐾 But Allegra begged for a picture with me and that doesn't happen very much anymore.
Let's just say there was more than a brief internal conflict. I felt like a traitor.
But as we toured campus with Allegra, wandered through the Cathedral of Learning, and explored the places and spaces she might one day call home, something struck me:
The moment we decide we already know enough is often the moment learning stops.
In my work, I see organizations do this all the time.
- They assume they know what makes someone successful in a role.
- They assume they know why one team consistently outperforms another.
- They assume they know what excellence looks like.
Then we sit down with top performers and discover something different.
- Something unexpected.
- Something hidden in plain sight.
Consciously or subconsciously, the best performers almost always challenge the working assumptions under which everyone else operates.
That's why I've come to believe that excellence starts with curiosity. Not expertise. Curiosity.
The willingness to walk onto unfamiliar ground, ask better questions, and see what might be true that you haven't considered before.
Even if you're wearing blue and gold and not blue and white while doing it.
Thanks, Pitt. I still love my alma mater. And it's still one of Allegra's top choices.
But I left with a deeper appreciation for what happens when we (sit with the ick😖) stay open to learning. And that's a lesson worth carrying anywhere. Loyalty is good. Curiosity is better.
WE ARE....
Go Bears! 😉