Curiosity -THE urgent skill gap
We are in a time of change acceleration, this was true well before COVID-19. In the last six months we have reached a point that has likely surprised even the disruptors. Change that we expected to be incremental and long term, was suddenly massive and immediate.
So many things changing all at once, that there is no playbook for us to follow and no obvious way to predict which is the right path to take. When Frank mused about the lack of viable predictions for 2020, we ended up down a [fun] rabbit hole discussing the risk of over applying what you know (or think you know).
Experience is great for optimizing and improving output of the known. Experience can be a risk when you need to do something you've never done before. In times of change, we need more innovators, and while necessity may be the mother of innovation, curiosity is the fuel.
What's fascinating about curiosity, is that it's not a new skill to any of us. Spend a day with any toddler in a "why" loop and you will see what I mean. We are born curious. We have to be, nobody is born smart. What happens to us is that often once we gain experience and develop heuristics, we fail to remember we might be wrong or more likely, fail to notice when the foundation for our heuristic has materially changed. This risk is especially high for anyone who has been successful. This is why disruption can be so unsettling for experts -- expertise that has exceeded its shelf life can shake a leaders self esteem.
Intellectual curiosity is the skill we all need to build. We need to recruit for it, promote it, and most importantly develop it. Every day. We need to actively take ourselves out of our comfort zones to develop not just new skills but new ways of thinking. We need to join and engage with diverse groups, leaning on our empathy. We all need to cultivate a beginners mindset and see that change is not a risk to experience, it is a new way to leverage it.
Leadership in times of change is not about knowing, it is about learning and creating. It is not about having the answers, but instead asking the right questions.
Executive Life Coach @The Wharton School ?? International Speaker & Author of Find Your VOICE as a Leader? ??Imposter Syndrome Mentor ??Former senior leader @ Adobe, JPMorgan, Charles Schwab, & Bristol-Myers Squibb
4 年Yes! Curiosity creates the fertile landscape of our growth mindset. Without it, it's easy to construct the walls and barriers that keep us in a fixed mindset. (Just look around ??). And as we get older, our intellectual curiosity may need a little zap of courage, so that we become older and *wiser* (C+C =W). Thanks for the zap, Meg!
Analytics Strategist, Child Literacy Advocate
4 年I have always been the kid that took his toys apart to see how they worked. This need to know has been ever present in my mindset with work and the world around me. I think the key to encouraging this in the work place is to allow for ideas to be expressed and shared without consequences. Lots of great ideas never get spoken our explored due to fear and uncertainty.
Award-winning Author | Chief Facilitator for Authors and Experts Ready to be Ahead of Your Time
4 年@meg bear thank you for this thoughtful post. The future belongs to those of us who are continuous learner with Intellectual curiosity. Every day. Questioning everything is an advantage.
Human, writer, cook, parent, gardener, traveller
4 年I like this perspective. To me, curiosity is both a skill and a mindset. Asking the right questions is what leads to re-framing - flipping the narrative on its side to find the solution or opportunity. Or to your comment below, understanding other people's point of view (#TeamBreneBrown!). True curiosity is also non-judgmental, which leads to more open discussions about what is actually happening and why. Back in olden times when I worked at Sybase, then-CEO Mark Hoffman repeatedly reminded everyone to ask questions. "If you hear about some other team doing something crazy, assume you don't have all of the information. Ask questions before you do anything else." In other words, curiosity FTW!
Driving Technological Innovation & Diversity | Seasoned Tech Leader & Field CTO | Sales Engineering Expert | Strategic Advisor | Specialist in Enterprise Security and AI
4 年Love this ??