Cultivating Curiosity: The Art of Living a Learning Life
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
It will surprise no one who knows me well to learn that I set my room on fire as a child. Twice. The admonishment to not ‘play with matches’ created in me an unstoppable desire to play with matches as soon as possible. My small self reasoned that anything so fiercely against the rules must be truly spectacular. I was curious.
It was spectacular. And scary. And wondrous.
While it might not always lead to the wisest course of action, the power of curiosity is immense. Nearly unstoppable once started, curiosity contains and creates its own perpetual motion, where one question leads inexorably to another, a never-ending path of learning and wonder.
Curiosity Dwindles
Those of us who were naturally curious as children might look back and realize now that we fell out of the habit of asking ‘why’ about everything. Our parents certainly weren’t fans of incessant questions and even teachers got tired of answering us constantly. We learned to contain ourselves, to accept what was taught as good enough and our focus shifted from constantly asking why to new relationships, to graduating, to college and jobs. There are few who have really maintained that childlike skill – perpetual curiosity.
And yet….
Curiosity Can Rekindle
We have all learned from the last three years that not everything is as we thought it was. The global pandemic forced systems and societies to slow down, to take a moment to self-examine, to ask at scale for the first time in generations if the ways we were living and working were really serving us. Across the world, workplaces and communities have come to new understandings about relationships to justice, racism, and policing; we examined how to reprioritize time with the most important things like family and nature; we became more radically human in our meetings as cats and kids and pajamas became workplace normal. We shifted. That shift begs us to ask what else might be possible, to rekindle our curiosity.
As we face a multitude of wicked, complex challenges in our organizations and in our communities, I believe a curiosity mindset is one of our best openings to a healthy & resilient shared future. As a way of being, curiosity is naturally and endemically opposed to being judgmental, complacent, or bored. By itself, it can bring new joy to life, new life to work, and new innovations to everything.
CQ (The IQ of Curiosity)
Since 2011, the use of the term “curiosity quotient” or CQ has been growing. Like IQ (intelligence quotient) or EQ (emotional intelligence quotient), CQ seeks to measure and explore the effects of curiosity on our capacity to change, grow, and emerge new solutions.
“Dr. Chamorro-Premuzic suggests that, in the future, these abilities [IQ and EQ] will still be important, but the differentiating quality for the leader will be how well they have also developed what he calls their “curiosity quotient”, or CQ.” Quoted from the article, CQ is the new EQ
Like IQ and EQ, CQ seeks to investigate and measure the human qualities that lead most to successful outcomes for our businesses and our communities.
The Benefits of Curiosity
With CQ in mind, here are a few examples of what I think is a very, very long list of ways that staying curious enables us to be more creative, happier, and more equitable.
Curiosity…
Drives positive relationships: Curiosity about others, a desire to really know or understand the people in our team or community, precludes judgment. When we ask about others with genuine curiosity, we allow them to feel seen, occupy authentic space, and deepen relationships.
Is the first step in any creative process: Curiosity is the thing that asks, ‘what happens if I do this’ and then tries something for the first time. It is our exploration, our asking, that sparks creativity AND innovation.
Combats complacency: Whether it’s complacency in our work or in our relationships, curiosity is always going to upend merely good enough. A curiosity mindset will ask over and over what else might be possible, and how might we do something better. Curiosity doesn’t rest on laurels, it looks for what’s next.
Enables positive change: Resistance to change and the inertia of continuing to do things in the same way they’ve ‘always been done’ has taken its toll on many an organization or community. This is why there is such a great need for change management! Organizations that create and foster a culture of curiosity are inherently more flexible, more ready to change, and more willing to fall down and get back up.
Powers inclusion and belonging: When we are truly curious, we are open to seeing people as they are, interested in how they live and move through the world, and appreciative of the differences they bring. We open space for everyone to belong.
Sparks joy and fun in our work: Let’s face it – being curious is fun! When we’re curious we learn more, try new things more, and generally just dwell in a sense of wonder that makes every day more joyful.
Getting Curious
So HOW do we cultivate a curiosity mindset? The good news is that this is easier than you might think! As always, shifting your habits and patterns requires some intention and some practice. Here are a few ways you can practice being curious!
Ask at least one exploratory question with each person you interact with each day. You can keep a list of these handy on your desk and use them and then update them periodically. Questions like, ‘what do you think’, ‘tell me more’, and ‘how did you come to think this way’ are great questions to ask folks we’re working with.
Take the time to prioritize asking instead of telling. When your team or community has a decision to make, be the one who asks and not the one who tells. Listen and learn, pay attention to the ideas that are different from ones you might have come up with.
Set up a ‘why' day or a ‘why’ meeting regularly. Set explicit time for your team at home or at work to ask why things are done a certain way. Make room for it!! We need to question our processes and systems in a safe space that allows for challenges to norms.
Normalize probing for possibility. When discussing and making decisions at work or in your family, start creating a process where you always ask, ‘what else might be possible?’. Encourage wacky brainstorming, stretching the limits of what’s possible and opening more avenues to explore. Cultivate a wider array of options for every decision instead of sitting in either/ or thinking!
The Humanity of Curiosity
It is curiosity that allows us to learn, grow, and be playful even in our work. It requires not only noticing but actively seeking out solutions. Think about it… apples have been falling from trees forever, but when Isaac Newton started to ask WHY the apples were falling we got a whole lot closer to understanding the physics of the world around us! You never know where your next ‘why’ will lead.
Now go cultivate that sense of wonder my friends. It’s part of being human and may just be the fire we’ve all been looking for… the kind that brings new growth.
PS.
If you are curious (!) there’s a short curiosity assessment through HBR that might help you answer a bit about your OWN curiosity mindset. Check it out HERE.
