Curiosity Leads To Innovation

Judgement is in our nature as humans. We judge ourselves, others and our situation. Judging happens without even trying. Consider that you are walking or driving down the road, and you notice someone walking on the street who is dressed differently than you might choose to dress. A common reaction might be, “What are they wearing?” 

This reaction is you judging the other person. Within a millisecond, you disagree with what the other person is wearing, and you almost automatically judge them. 

What if, instead of judging, you chose curiosity? 

When you see the same person walking down the street, you might ask yourself, “ I wonder where that person is headed today?” 

Curiosity is also a great alternative to self-judgement. Instead of beating yourself up about a decision or action you made, get curious. Ask yourself, what made the decision seem like a good idea or what you could have done differently?

At home, judging your child or teen can create distance between the two of you. In the workplace, judgement can reduce innovation and creativity. In both scenarios, the presence of judgment reduces trust and psychological safety. 

As a teenager, the last thing you want or need to hear is judgement from your parents. What if you replaced judgment with curiosity and sought to understand why your teen made a choice you disagree with? In your quest to understand your teenager, trade your judgement statement for a question that starts with what, how, or why. A why question may take a little more practice as it may cause your teen to become defensive. 

At work, when someone shares an opinion or an idea, try pausing and choosing curiosity. This is especially true if your first thought is judging the other person’s idea. Instead, choose to learn more about their idea. How, what, and why questions are helpful here too. 

How can you shift from judgment to curiosity?

1. Start by noticing: Take a couple of days to observe your thoughts. When the thought is judgmental, notice whether it is towards yourself, others, or the situation. 
2. Reflect on what you are noticing: When is judgment showing up? Do you judge yourself more than others or your situation? What are you noticing?
3. Practice curiosity: Over the next week, when you notice a judgmental thought, commit to swapping the thought for curiosity 
4. Reflect on what you observed: What was it like swapping judgment for curiosity? How often did you catch yourself? What have you learned? 
5. Keep practicing: It is going to take time and intention. Judgement has been an automatic reaction for most of your life. You will need lots of practice and grace for yourself as you unlearn judgment and learn how to be more curious.

Curiosity leads to innovation. 

You could also choose to create a daily curiosity practice.

Many of our beliefs were gifted to us through life experiences, including hundreds of beliefs we have accepted from our parents, teachers, and society. Along the way, we have also made judgements about people, products and places that we have adopted as our truth. We all have beliefs that look something like this:

• I don’t like seafood
• The dishwasher has to be loaded in a specific way
• Service at restaurant ABC is always slow
• I can’t do CrossFit, I can’t use a barbell to lift weights
• Jimmy is always late 

Each day, identify either a topic you are curious about, or a belief you hold and take 5 – 10 minutes to get curious. Use the time to ask questions, reflect, journal, Google, or have a conversation. 

Having trouble finding something to get curious about, try asking yourself these questions:

• What is one part of your day that you take for granted or complete on auto-pilot?
• What is one habit or activity that you do every day?
• What do you want to start doing that you aren’t doing now?
• Can you revisit an idea you have judged in the past?

Change starts with curiosity. Contact me to discuss how I can work with your team to increase trust and psychological safety in the workplace. Book a complimentary call or connect with me directly on LinkedIn Lisa Blanchet.