Curiosity and Situational Humility
64% of employers consider curiosity and lifelong learning as increasing in terms of importance. Yet, the need to ‘know the answer’ is so deeply engrained in us from school, from college and from work that ‘not knowing’ is considered a source of shame. In times of complexity, when problems are ill-defined and are difficult to even articulate clearly, how can we expect old knowledge and expertise to solve them?
As Einstein famously said:
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
This tension is something that shows up in my work regularly, particularly in expert cultures e.g. professional services, hospitals, scientific organisations, – places where nothing short of perfection is accepted in terms of the output produced – legal advice for a corporate client, a medical procedure or a scientific paper. Perfect outputs are needed, yet situations are complex and people are human.
How can we acknowledge the importance of expertise and build on this to create environments which enable spacious thinking for complex challenges? In my view, curiosity and situational humility are key. Professor Amy Edmondson considers curiosity and situational Humility as being key mind-sets required to create psychological safety – the key foundation of high-performing teams. Situational Humility is a term that accepts that expertise is valued and necessary and it recognises that each situation is different and therefore we should see them with fresh eyes. We can leverage our expertise and look at the challenge with this situational humility.
Jennifer Garvey-Berger puts this really well when she describes the skill of ‘listening to learn’ instead of listening to fix or to win. What might we learn that is different about this situation by listening to hear what is new here? Research in the medical field in the US, found that general practitioners interrupted patients after 23 seconds on average as they explained their concerns. It was found that if they listened on average for an 6 extra seconds the patient could finish what they had to say.
In collective problem solving, a key to navigating complexity with fresh eyes is bringing our own curiosity and encouraging the group to do likewise – through the act of ‘setting the stage‘ – explored in part 2 of this series. We create a holding environment which encourages curiosity and where contributions are encouraged without judgement. The need to ‘know the answer’ is so deep within us that it’s almost as if we need to give permission to others to look at things with fresh eyes and curiosity in order to problem-solve.
As you think about your day ahead, perhaps identify a couple of situations where you can listen genuinely to learn and for 6 extra seconds. What can you learn from others that enables you to see complex challenges from a different perspective? I would be curious if you learn anything unexpected.
The next practice I will explore is getting on the ‘balcony’ to see the system. Feel free to get in touch with any observations so far.
With best wishes, Eadine
Amplifying leadership and team impact through psychological safety and adaptive leadership.
Eadine is the founder of Resonate Leadership. As a coach and psychological safety consultant, she uniquely brings adaptive leadership and psychological safety together as she cultivates ‘brave spaces’ for clients to navigate complexity. She is certified in the Fearless Organisation Scan, author of the Law Society Psychological Safety Toolkits, facilitator of the LEGO® Serious Play® method and she is a certified Leadership Agility® Coach .
If your organisation is navigating complexity do reach out for a complimentary conversation – if you don’t know where to start, that’s ok, we can start with curiosity.
Recent Comments