While most companies espouse growth mindsets and learning trajectories, it often seems that fast action, activity, and quick results are often more highly regarded and rewarded than curiosity.
I deeply understand this mindset. A chronic “do-er” with limited time, I instinctively want to jump right to actions. In recent years, however, I’ve learned to lean into curiosity as a first step.
Curiosity in Action
How and when can we get curious, when budgets, headcounts, and deliverables are on the line?
As a comms pro, I usually start with the question, “Why are we doing/communicating this?” This can be a great strategic filter to prioritize work. It’s also good for level-setting team members and for opening the door to curiosity. The question can help define success, and also helps team members better understand your business.
For example, when you ask, “Why are we hosting a quarterly town hall meeting?” the surface answer is usually, “To share what’s going on in our business with our employees.”
But if we get curious, we can:
- Question if a town hall meeting is the most appropriate communication channel
- Evaluate if we’re reaching and connecting with the right audience
- Explore whether there’s a more efficient, less expensive or more effective way of sharing what’s going on in the business with employees
If we continue to stay curious, the deeper answer could be about the leader’s need to authentically connect with her team. It could be that morale is low, and she believes her visual presence and verbal reassurance are the most effective way to stabilize the cultural climate.
In that case, perhaps more intimate group meetings or an in-person facility listening tour would offer more value than a town hall session.
Curiosity Unlocks Doors
Staying curious, even for short periods of time, invites (and allows room for) creativity to rush into the space. Curiosity allows us to freely consider different perspectives and explore new actions or approaches. Curiosity can also infuse our work with a sense of optimism and possibility. Even if we ultimately land on a familiar path, by engaging our curiosity muscle, we’ve signaled to ourselves — and to others — that other possibilities exist.
Curiosity also suggests humility. When we get curious about potential options, answers and solutions, we admit that our way is not the only way or the “right” way.
How to Get (and Stay) Curious at Work
Getting curious often starts with an intentional pause, especially if you’re active or anxious in nature. When I’m practicing curiosity, I often need to vocally remind myself, “I want to get curious about this.”
Once the intention is set, getting curious involves staying open – to seemingly impossible ideas, tangential thinking and perhaps postponement or delays. In high-delivering cultures, this can pose a real challenge and may feel initially awkward.
Thought-starters You Can Use to Nurture Curiosity:
- How could this look differently?
- What’s truly motivating this choice/decision?
- What would it look like if we had no time/budget limitations?
- What would happen if we didn’t take [x action] immediately? Or ever?
- Whose perspective are we using? Whose perspective are we forgetting?
- What are we assuming?
- What are we missing?
- Are the risks real or imagined?
- What is the best possible outcome?
Ultimately, getting (and staying) curious is a leadership superpower, and can lead to more creative, more collaborative results.
With more than two decades of communications experience spanning agencies, Fortune-100 organizations, non-profits and academia, Kristi Hinck Mills brings her passion for employee communications to CommsLede Consulting, where she delivers strategic solutions and executive coaching for her clients. Visit the CommsLede blog for more tips.
