Agency
If I had to pick a habit that is the starting point for exploration and for being an explorer, it is Agency. There are many ways of describing this habit, the more popular being empowerment.
Agency is about the fundamental knowing of an individual that they are able to make choices, that they are the agents of change and that what they say and do not only matters but creates something.
Agency isn’t something you can be given. It is something you choose for yourself. It helps if you are working in an empowering space or culture, however, regardless of how much empowerment is in the system, an individual with agency is always able to find choices and actions to take.
Agency is closely linked to accountability and autonomy. To have agency is to take accountability for what you say and do and the consequences (intended or otherwise) of your actions. To have agency is to also work with autonomy. This is not complete isolation or disconnection from the people and system you are in, it is more the ability to make choices within the permission structures that are in place.
Without agency, individuals stay stuck, waiting for permission from someone to get started. Waiting for consensus to get going, waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
With agency, individuals are pro-active, exploring options, engaging with the people around them to find the best way forward, getting buy-in from the people around them and so creating the momentum that is needed to discover and explore.