In Think Again, Adam Grant challenged the world to think beyond our first response. He challenged us to identify that sometimes – our first instinct is not the best idea. That in fact, we would benefit from thinking more like scientists – forming hypotheses and testing these out for factual accuracy rather than falling prey to ignorance, assumptions and biases.
This is the third in a series of three blogs as to why curiosity is an essential skill for work and life. To recap, the reasons:
Our lens of the world – how we see it – is coloured by the breadth and depth of our experiences as well as our values and beliefs.
To be more curious is to examine our views – to test them – roll them around a bit. A sign of an evolved society is one that can tolerate different views, where free speech is a cornerstone, where people of different race, religion, sexual orientation or ability can not only tolerate each other, but actively work together. Not only does this lead to richer cultural experiences, but it also drives innovation. Different viewpoints foster new ideas as we have seen is a concept popularised by Frans Johansson in The Medici Effect.
Curiosity not only opens our minds to different points of view, it sparks the creative process that leads to innovation. The key to leveraging the shared capabilities in teams begins with mining different viewpoints so that we can open the world of possibilities for consideration. To be curious about what others are thinking -why they may or may not agree with your point of view – is to invite in an essential ingredient to the creative process – which is to open the world of possibilities.
Thinking like a scientist is about forming hypotheses that we can test and measure. Ultimately, decision making is better because it’s based on a wider view than one single, dominant perspective.
If you want to find out more about how you can harness curiosity as a key pillar for high performing teams, come to my free information session on Tuesday 28 May at 11am. Sign up here.