Hit the Mute Button to Foster Creativity & Innovation

Listening between the lines is crucial when engaging with colleagues and team members. It's about truly understanding their underlying issues and the challenges they're eager to address, often by collaborating on solutions.

To effectively listen between the lines, one must embrace silence. This pause, often seen as uncomfortable, is actually valuable. When a colleague pauses to think, our instinct is to jump in and respond, but this can cut off important insights they might still be formulating.

One useful technique is using a "mute" button. After posing a question, consciously mute yourself to avoid interrupting. This pause gives the colleague space to fully express their thoughts. Before unmuting, consider whether they're finished, if your input is truly necessary, or if a follow-up question might elicit deeper insights.

This approach often results in colleagues talking for the majority of the conversation, which is totally ok because fostering an environment where team members feel engaged, connected, and productive is essential. By allowing them to talk, you can uncover:

1. Hidden Dissatisfaction and Potential Issues

Identifying hidden dissatisfaction and potential issues is critical for maintaining a healthy work environment. By encouraging open and honest communication, team members will feel safe expressing their concerns. This can be achieved through regular one-on-one meetings, anonymous feedback channels, and fostering a culture of transparency. Addressing these issues proactively can prevent them from escalating, leading to higher morale and lower turnover rates. It also shows that leadership values employee well-being, which can increase trust and loyalty.

2. Positive Feedback on Team Processes or Solutions

Recognizing and reinforcing positive feedback on team processes or solutions helps build a positive culture. Celebrating successes, no matter how small, boosts morale and encourages continued excellence. Implementing formal recognition programs and informal shout-outs during meetings can make employees feel valued and appreciated. Positive feedback also serves as a reinforcement of best practices, which can be shared across the team to improve overall performance and efficiency.

3. New Challenges That Could Lead to Collaborative Opportunities

Introducing new challenges that require collaboration can help break down silos and promote teamwork. When team members work together to solve complex problems, they build stronger relationships and learn to rely on each other's strengths. This can be facilitated through cross-functional projects, team-building exercises, and collaborative tools that enable seamless communication. Encouraging a collaborative mindset helps create a more cohesive and agile team, capable of tackling any challenge.

4. Connections Between Their Immediate Needs and the Team's Larger Goals

Helping team members see the connection between their immediate tasks and the team's larger goals can increase their sense of purpose and alignment. Clearly communicating the company's vision and how each individual's work contributes to that vision can make employees feel part of something bigger. Regular updates on company progress and how team achievements are contributing to overall success can reinforce this connection. When employees understand the impact of their work, they are more likely to be motivated and committed to the team's success.

5. Innovative Ideas for Growth and Improvement

Fostering a culture where innovative ideas are welcomed and encouraged can drive growth and improvement. Providing platforms for brainstorming, such as innovation labs or regular ideation sessions, allows team members to contribute their unique perspectives. Rewarding innovative thinking and implementing viable ideas shows that leadership values creativity and is committed to continuous improvement. This not only drives the company forward but also keeps employees engaged and motivated.

The Role of Curiosity in All This

So many organizations are looking for ways to improve their competitiveness in the marketplace and that last point about tapping into innovation and creativity is an important one. Curiosity is a fundamental driver of learning, innovation, and collaboration. In a team setting, curiosity fosters a culture where questioning, exploring, and discovering new ideas are encouraged.

Many business leaders I talk with say communication is a challenge. Curiosity can help remedy this issue because when team members are curious, they’re more likely to ask questions, seek clarification, and engage in meaningful dialogues. This openness leads to better understanding and stronger communication.

As mentioned above, innovation drives business growth. So how do you drive innovation? Curiosity inspires individuals to explore new ideas and approaches. When team members are encouraged to be curious, they are more likely to think creatively and propose innovative solutions to problems.

A Google study called Project Aristotle found psychological safety was the top attribute of high-performing teams. However, research from Wiley Workplace Intelligence discovered that business leaders tend to overestimate the psychological safety felt by their team. Only 42% of managers said they feel psychologically safe, compared to 57% of executives. And 53% of employees agreed it feels safe to take a risk versus 76% of executives.

Symptoms of a lack of psychological safety include people not speaking up, lack of connection on a team, and people not feeling comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

Creating a culture of curiosity allows and encourages people to feel safe expressing thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment. This psychological safety is crucial for collaboration and success.

Finding the root cause of problems and digging in to explore solutions only comes about when you have curious teams. Supporting a collaborative approach to problem-solving this way ensures that the team considers diverse perspectives and arrives at well-rounded, well-thought out decisions.

Henry Ford said, “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”

Smart business leaders know that curiosity is the basis of a continuous quest for knowledge and improvement. It’s this thirst for learning that keeps teams agile and adaptable to changing circumstances.

How You Can Encourage Your Team to Be More Curious

Your team members are taking their cues from you. Demonstrate curiosity in your daily interactions. Ask questions, show interest in your team’s work, and explore new ideas openly. When you model curiosity, it sets a tone that encourages others to do the same.

Encourage your reports to ask questions without fear of judgment. Acknowledge and appreciate their inquiries, no matter how simple or complex. This helps build a culture where curiosity is valued.

Allow people to explore new ideas and experiment with different approaches without fear of repercussions. Provide resources and time for innovation and support their initiatives, even if they don’t always lead to immediate success.

Promote continuous learning by offering training opportunities, workshops, and access to educational resources. Ask team members to share their learnings with everyone else and develop a collaborative learning culture.

During meetings and discussions, pose open-ended questions that stimulate thinking and exploration. Questions like “What if…?”, “How might we…?”, and “Why do you think…?” can provoke deeper thought and discussion.

Acknowledge and celebrate instances where employees have shown curiosity and innovative thinking. You can do this either through formal recognition programs or informal praise during meetings.

Motivate your people to work with colleagues from different departments. When they’re exposed to diverse perspectives, it sparks curiosity and leads to new insights and ideas.

Implement practices like regular debriefs, retrospectives, and after-action reviews. These reflective sessions give people time to think about what they’ve learned, what worked, and what didn’t, so they can integrate their new knowledge for future use.

Promote diversity within the team to bring in different viewpoints and experiences. Too often teams are made up of people who have the same background or education or are at the same professional level. So, the problem is only seen from one perspective, which limits solutions.

Normalize the concept of failure as a part of the learning process. When employees see “failure” (which I simply define as getting a different outcome than was expected) is not punished but viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow, they are more likely to take risks and explore new ideas.

By fostering curiosity, you as a leader can create an environment where collaboration thrives, leading to a more engaged, innovative, and productive team.

?

When you’re ready for a customized solution for your organization, see my profile to schedule a call.

Lori Saitz is the CEO of Zen Rabbit, a forward-thinking health and wellness company specializing in helping corporations build healthy and high-performance focused teams and workplaces. She’s also the host of Fine is a 4-Letter Word. As an award-winning author, speaker, and broadcaster, she is a contributor to Business Insider and has worked with various organizations, including AARP, Insperity, Women in Technology, Infinity Broadcasting, and JK Moving Services.