“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new
ideas
as in escaping from the old ones.”
Economist Maynard Keynes
One
definition of curiosity is ‘A strong desire to know or learn something.’ Sounds
good right, and sounds like something that most educational institutions and
organizations would support. That is unfortunately not always the case, on the contrary! Yet leaving the
discussion of the how and why of this unfortunate situation for some other time, I
will say that curiosity is stifled in many ways. It is stifled in subtle and
brash ways, directly and indirectly, intentionally and unintentionally, and in
many other ways. If only they and we would live according to Voltaire's wisdom:
“Judge a man by his questions,
rather than his answers.”
French writer, historian, and
philosopher Voltaire
If you wish to sign up for more curiosity, please do realize what you ask
for. My coaching and workshop
clients can be quick to say ‘Yes, of course I value curiosity.’ Yet
curiosity has it’s challenges. So here’s my view on what it takes to cultivate
and leverage your own and other people's curiosity.
If you
want to cultivate curiosity, you have to be willing and ready
to be
inquisitive.
to postpone
judgment.
to shut
up a little longer.
to ask
and listen a little more.
to
appreciate different perspectives.
to embrace
ambiguity and the unknown.
to admit
you don’t know it all or know it best.
to not
see someone else’s curiosity as test or criticism.
to let
others be heard, take the spotlight, and get credit.
to
distance yourself from some of your long-held assumptions.
to let
others explore, discover, experiment, and make mistakes.
Are you willing? Are you ready?
