Would You Hire This Bear for Your Customer Education Team? I Might.

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Denver Blue Bear statue looking into convention center

-Not knowing is the beginning of the adventure that leads to innovation.


Learning Leader: I'm hiring!

Bear’s CV: Hunter/Gatherer, Freelance, 2010-Present

  • Ate berries, fish, sometimes garbage
  • Developed strategy to find more things to eat
  • Increased body fat from 20% to 40% in 6 months
  • Slept for 6 months, decreased body fat from 40% to 20%
  • Repeat annually


Not exactly what I was looking for on paper, but I might be missing out on talent and diversity of thought if I don’t dig a little deeper. What caught my eye about this bear is its curiosity: Curious enough to look into the Colorado Convention Center to find out what is going on but cautious enough not to just bust through the glass in search of food. A good combo.


In corporate training we are still doing mostly the same things in 2022 that we did in 2002, except we do more of it online. So how do we amplify innovation within our Customer Education (or any) teams? Curiosity opens the door for innovation and improvement. If you are focused on innovation and continuous improvement it helps to look beyond skills and experience. Both of these  are very important, but I also look for the following four traits when I’m building out my Customer Education team:


  • Attitude: Does the candidate like to explore, find new pathways, and iterate to improve the previous version? Is the candidate comfortable with not knowing and with failure?
  • Curiosity: Does the candidate go with what they already know or are they constantly overturning rocks to see what they might find?
  • Creativity: Does the candidate like to build new things? Do they have ideas about how to do things differently or better?
  • Problem Solver: Does the candidate view a problem more as a source of frustration and a roadblock or an opportunity for growth?


One positive bi-product of adding innovators to your team is that it allows you to pivot when things change quickly. You need people who already have lots of ideas on how to do things differently and can quickly come up with even more when time is not on your side. So while our friend, the “Denver Blue Bear” may lack some of the skills and experience I need, I think I’ll at least talk to him and see if he can help us in other ways.

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