You can create a culture of curiosity in the workplace or at home but not until you get rid of this old adage: curiosity kills the cat.
I grew up hearing that phrase. It was often repeated when I would become curious about something. Did you have a similar experience?
Here’s what it did for me, which I didn’t realize until much later in life. It killed some things IN me and possibly robbed me of things that were FOR me. Let’s put it another way: it prevented me from learning, exploring and possibly advancing more in my life.
Whenever I felt curious about something and would begin to explore, I would hear that phrase in my head: curiosity kills the cat.
Whenever I heard that it meant that I should stop being curious.
Imagine, as a young boy who liked to explore as most young children do, having to reign in my curiosity! It slowly “killed” me.
Another implied meaning that kept me from moving forward through curiosity is this phrase: stop being nosy.
I don’t know if you heard any of these as I did. I want to think that you did. However, it may not have hindered YOU from moving forward. You probably did so while guided by your curiosity. Not me.
Today, as a Personal Development coach, I encourage some of my clients to use curiosity as a skill to minimize allowing assumptions to guide their behaviors. As a consultant, I help businesses and organizations create a curiosity mindset culture.
Why?
JUST IMAGINE!
Imagine working in an environment where co-workers are constantly asking questions to make sure they “get it right!”
Imagine living in a household where family members are doing the same!
What would the results be if each person were “taught” to embrace this mindset?
I believe it would lead to greater productivity, increased morale, and a less tensed and stressful environment.
You might think: Wouldn’t this slow everything down if everyone were doing this?
Really? How so?
LET’S PUT IT TO THE TEST
Imagine or maybe recall a time when instead of using curiosity to verify an assumption, someone said or did something based on it. What would be or what were the results?
Conflict? Tension? Stress? Loss production? Reduced performance? What’s the cost of all this? I’ll let you do the math.
On the flip-side, when you become curious you are:
- adding value to others
- sending a message of the other person’s importance.
- practicing one of the most significant keys to increasing your Emotional Intelligence and that is, Empathy.
THE RESULTS ARE IN
The more you care about other people and what they’re going through, the more curious you’ll be about them.
The more curious you become towards another, the more empathetic you will be towards them. The more empathetic you are towards them, the higher your Emotional Intelligence will become.
Creating a culture in your business or in your home, teaching members to use curiosity as the first line of offense and defense, will advance your family’s and business agenda, than anything else I know.
Members will feel acknowledged, understood, less intimidated, more motivated to share ideas, give feedback, be innovative, etc.
MAKING THE SHIFT
Because this is not easily done, having a coach who understands this paradigm, is essential to your success. That’s where I come in.
As stated above, I work with groups and leaders helping them to foster this kind of cultural shift. It does require time and effort but most importantly, a desire to create a culture that drives innovation, increase interaction and boost morale.
This shift ultimately leads to better performance, more productivity and ultimately generate more profit. Last but not least, it gives the individual a reason to want to be more engaged.
If this is something that you know would help your business or organization, connect with me.
