I’m here to tell you that you need to hire Curious George.

No, not the actual monkey. But people like Curious George. Whether you’re building an agency or corporate communications department or rounding out your marketing team, you need more Curious George’s on your squad.

Why?

* Curious people are innovators and trailblazers. Don’t you want people like this on your team? People who constantly question the status quo and challenge decisions are more likely to help you improve processes, build better teams and drive results.

* Curious people are fast learners. In this climate of change, you need folks on your team who can learn new skills. Fast. When the winds of change shift within your organization, you need players who can move quickly and take on new roles and projects–work that often requires them to learn new skill sets at lightspeed.

* Curious people are early adopters. Think about Twitter. How many people do you know who use the tool? Would you consider them curious, by nature? Curious people have a desire–no, a need–to try new things and use new technologies before anyone else. These folks are not only adopting these new technologies faster than others, but they’re also learning how to implement those tools in the right situations–before anyone else.

* Curious people have great client service skills. Inquisitive people ask more questions–and that’s a valuable skill when dealing with clients. Asking questions and seeking additional information can help you identify needs, barriers and challenges when you’re putting together marketing and communications plans with clients.

* Curious people are strong team players. Think about the last really good conversation you had with a friend or colleague. They probably asked you a bunch of questions to start the discussion, right? Curious people use questions to start conversations and build relationships. After all, the more you learn about someone the closer you will feel to that person, right?

How many Curious George’s do you have on your team?