Unlocking potential: how to cultivate curiosity in the workplace.

As a team leader of a Learning and Development function, I strongly believe that curiosity and empathetic listening play a crucial role in fostering growth, adaptability, resilience and overall success in the workplace; especially in this ever-changing work environment and challenging situations, having people responsibility carries the onus of fostering a culture of curiosity and empathy. In a really deep and insightful coaching session today, guided by wisdom and perspective of Sandra Yazbeck Farah, PCC ICF, SP EMCC, TOT, I started reflecting on how to integrate curiosity and empathetic listening more firmly and intentionally into my own leadership style; not only to nurture a more dynamic and engaged talent development team, but also to create ripple effects among the nearly 9000 people in our span of care and truly unlock potential.

As always, I am really curious to hear from you on how this echoes with your experience!

Nurturing curiosity in the workplace

Curiosity is the driving force behind learning, high performing teams and markets success. As a leader, you can spark and sustain curiosity within your team through several practical strategies:

1. Ask thought-provoking (aka better) questions - Regularly pose open-ended questions during meetings and one-on-one sessions to stimulate deeper thinking and exploration. For instance:

• “What new skills or knowledge areas do you think would benefit our team?”

• “How can we improve our current ways of working?”

2. Encourage a learning, curious culture - Promote continuous learning by sharing articles, books, and research papers related to your relevant field and also thought leaderships from other fields. Create a “Curiosity Corner” in your MS Team channels or physical office space for sharing interesting findings and ideas. You can also schedule and engage in brainstorming sessions where all ideas are welcomed without judgment. Use techniques like mind mapping to visually organize thoughts and discover connections between different concepts.

3. Lead by example - Demonstrate your own curiosity by attending workshops, webinars, and courses. Share your learnings and experiences with your team, showing that you value continuous improvement. Allocate dedicated time in your daily or weekly schedule for focused learning and exploration. Consistency is key, so make it a habit to spend this time without interruptions.

4. Create opportunities for exploration - Allow team members to dedicate a portion of their time to exploring new ideas or projects, like Google did. Organize hackathons, innovation days, or brainstorming sessions to address current challenges and explore new opportunities. Give people time to thrive following their strengths, passions and creativity!

5. Foster cross-functional collaboration - Encourage collaboration with other functions to expose your team to different perspectives and expertise. Arrange cross-departmental meetings or shadowing opportunities to broaden their understanding of the organisation. The future of work will be much more project-based and self-organising cross teams hinged on critical skills. Experimenting now with this type of collaboration (“Leading without Authority” as Keith Ferrazzi wrote) is key.  

6. Recognize and reward curiosity - Celebrate instances of curiosity and innovative thinking through formal recognition programs or informal shout-outs. You can also set learning goals that gently push your people´s boundaries. For example, if someone is comfortable with beginner-level material, nudge them to tackle intermediate or advanced topics.

7. Facilitate reflective practices - Implement regular reflection sessions where team members can share their learning experiences, challenges, and successes. It could be as simple as a 15´ huddle or stand-up meeting on a Friday morning. You can also use retrospectives to discuss insights gained from past projects and how they can be applied in the future. And you can personally reflect on past successes and how you overcame previous challenges. Keep a journal of these experiences to boost your self-belief and remind yourself of your capabilities.

8. Encourage experimentation and risk-taking- Create a safe environment for experimentation and calculated risks without fear of failure. As long as you emphasise the value of learning from mistakes and iterating on ideas, it is going to be ok 😉.

9. Leverage technology and tools to foster communities of practice- Utilise learning platforms and tools that encourage interactive and engaging learning experiences. Gamification, simulations, and virtual reality can make learning more dynamic and curiosity-driven and really foster communities of like-minded individuals who can provide each other with diverse perspectives and enhance their respective understanding.

10. Stay updated with industry trends - Keep abreast of the latest trends and innovations in your field. I am including some resources in the notes, but key for me is to share relevant updates with your team and discuss how these trends can be integrated into your practices. You can also regularly practice analysing and critiquing articles, arguments, or studies. Use tools like the "Five Whys" technique to drill down into the root causes of a problem or the core of an argument.

Integrating empathetic listening and curiosity in workplace challenging situations

Empathetic listening, combined with curiosity, can transform the way you and your team approach tough tasks and bad news. Here’s how to practice these skills effectively:

Empathetic listening in One-on-One conversations - Empathetic listening involves fully understanding the speaker’s feelings and perspectives: the context, not just the content. In my facilitation of active listening, these some of the practices to enhance our listening skills:

• Be truly present: eliminate distractions and focus on the speaker.

• Listen actively: use verbal affirmations and avoid interrupting.

• Reflect and clarify: paraphrase and ask clarifying questions to ensure understanding.

• Show empathy: acknowledge and validate their feelings.

• Respond thoughtfully: Offer support or solutions and summarize key points.

Reframing tough tasks or bad news with curiosity - When faced with challenges, use curiosity to reframe the situation:

• Pause and breathe: take a moment to calm your emotional response.

• Ask curious questions: understand the situation better with questions like, “What are the specific challenges we’re facing?” and “What can we learn from this?”

• Identify opportunities: look for potential growth opportunities within the challenge.

• Seek solutions collaboratively: engage your team in problem-solving and brainstorming.

What does it sound like, when you combine empathetic listening and curiosity? In a nutshell, you create an environment where team members feel heard and valued. Here’s an example scenario: imagine a team member comes to you feeling overwhelmed by a tight deadline. Start with empathetic listening:

• Listen actively: “I understand you’re feeling stressed about the upcoming deadline. Can you walk me through what’s on your plate right now?”

• Reflect and clarify: “It sounds like you have multiple tasks and not enough time. Is that right?”

• Show empathy: “I can see how that would be really stressful. It’s important to find a way to manage this without burning out.”

• Respond thoughtfully: “Let’s look at your tasks together and see if we can prioritise or delegate some of them. What do you think?”

Then, reframe the situation with curiosity:

• Pause and breathe: take a moment to collect yourself.

• Ask curious questions: “Can we break down what happened and identify the key factors that led to this outcome?”

• Identify opportunities: “What insights have we gained from this experience that can help us in the future?”

• Seek solutions collaboratively: “Let’s brainstorm some ways to address these challenges. How can we ensure better outcomes next time?”

As I was reflecting with Sandra, there is a lot of questions being asked and a coaching mindset, key to integrating curiosity and empathetic listening into your leadership approach. However, I am firm believer that if we stay curious a little longer (quote MBS), we not only enhance our own skills, but also cultivate a team culture that values curiosity, open communication, continuous learning, and resilience.

Before concluding, I want to share some key resources. First and foremost, the books that more than ever helped me shape my thinking on curiosity in the workplace: "The Workplace Curiosity Manifesto" by Stefaan van Hooydonk and "The Curious Advantage" by Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown 🇺🇦 and Garrick Jones, and their podcast The Curious Advantage Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Other books:

1. "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein - This book explores the power of breadth of knowledge and curiosity, showing how generalists excel by connecting ideas from various fields. Amazon Link

2. "Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It" by Ian Leslie - Leslie delves into the nature of curiosity, its importance in our lives, and how it can be nurtured to enhance personal and professional growth. Amazon Link

3. "A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas" by Warren Berger - Berger emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions and how curiosity-driven inquiry leads to innovation and problem-solving. Amazon Link

TEDx Talks

1. "The Power of Curiosity" by Brian Grazer - Brian Grazer shares his insights on how curiosity has been a driving force in his successful career as a Hollywood producer. YouTube Link

2. "The Importance of Curiosity" by Kelsey Tainsh - Kelsey Tainsh discusses how curiosity helped her overcome personal challenges and achieve success, emphasizing its role in resilience and growth. YouTube Link

3. "The Power of Creative Constraints" by Brandon Rodriguez - Rodriguez explores how curiosity, when paired with creative constraints, leads to innovative solutions and breakthroughs. YouTube Link

Articles

1. "Curiosity: The Superpower We Might Have Taken for Granted" by Francesca Gino (Harvard Business Review) - This article examines the role of curiosity in the workplace, highlighting its benefits and providing strategies to foster it within organizations. HBR Link

2. "Why Curiosity Matters" by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Mara Swan (Harvard Business Review) - The authors discuss the critical role of curiosity in leadership and innovation, offering insights into how it can be cultivated and leveraged. HBR Link

3. The Power of Curiosity in the Workplace by Chelsea Spencer Smith - When leveraged properly, this can have a substantial effect on a company’s bottom line and overall culture. The Power Of Curiosity In The Workplace (forbes.com)

Podcasts

1. "The Knowledge Project" by Shane Parrish This podcast features interviews with experts from various fields, focusing on how curiosity and continuous learning drive success and innovation. The Knowledge Project Podcast - Farnam Street (fs.blog)

2. "Curiosity Daily" by Discovery - A podcast that covers a wide range of topics, encouraging listeners to stay curious and explore new ideas and concepts. Podcast Link

3. "Hidden Brain" by Shankar Vedantam - Shankar Vedantam explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, often highlighting the role of curiosity in understanding ourselves and the world around us. Podcast Link