Curiosity and Critical Thinking

As a single mom, one of my earliest and most disheartening encounters was with someone who casually remarked, "Your child needs a father." This comment was thrown without a moment’s pause to understand the depths of my journey or the reasons behind my decisions. It was my initiation into a world where society's beliefs overshadowed personal stories, where misconceptions about psychology became the basis for judgment. I was blindsided, not just by the unsolicited advice, but by the implication that my child would be psychologically vulnerable. In that moment, I felt a whirlwind of self-doubt, as if the abuse I had endured was somehow my fault. The weight of that judgment could have shattered me had it not been for the unwavering support of my close friends and family. I share this today as a gentle reminder to all: 1️⃣ Pause and Reflect: Before making assumptions or offering advice, take a moment to understand the other person's story. A single interaction is rarely enough to fathom someone’s life. 2️⃣ Empathy Over Judgment: We all carry our own battles. Let's make kindness and understanding our first response, not judgment. 3️⃣ Educate Yourself: If you genuinely want to help or connect, invest time in understanding the dynamics and challenges the person might be facing. Real help comes from informed, empathetic interactions. Next time you’re quick to judge someone based on a fleeting encounter or a mere social media post, pause and remember that behind every status is a story, often one of resilience and strength. Let's be the support system that uplifts rather than breaks. P.S.- This is me smiling after not taking sh*t from anyone who has an opinion about my life.

Most people will say that being hypothesis-based is the primary way to conduct an experiment… but not me. I think it misses the big opportunity. There are two totally different, yet completely effective ways to conduct an experiment: - Hypothesis Based  and - Discovery-Based When I was a Ph.D. student, I would say that discovery-based experimentation played a bigger part in my life because you’re actually trying to accomplish new feats. Let’s lay out the differences within the scope of a marketer: Say you’re unsure what kind of message is going to attract what type of person. The discovery-based way to conduct this test is to put out a bunch of hooks of value and see who engages with what. You determine which demographics of people end up engaging the most based on the types of value put out. The key here is you’re not forming an opinion beforehand. You’re letting the experiment guide a theory. Contrarily, hypothesis-based experiments would start by stating a theory that you are going to test. In this instance, you might say “Parents love this supplement to stay healthy during flu season,” and then by putting out hooks of value, you can either confirm or deny, generally, that hypothesis. This is where A/B tests generally live. With these differences in mind, I want you to consider this going forward: How do you drive discovery? Discovery-based experiments are where the magic happens because you *clears throat* discover. You find new answers you may have never deemed possible.  There are 3 things you need to do to drive effective discover-based experimentation: 1) Ask Open Questions 2) Have Very Good Data Instrumentation  3) Be Completely Unopinionated I broke down these three points a bit further in today’s Whiteboard Wednesday video below. 👇 Go check it out and let me know your take on experimentation in the replies! 

I'm currently working with an organization struggling with low trust internally. In addition to undermining collaboration, performance, and engagement, the environment of low trust is eroding people's curiosity about each other and driving criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, and condemnation. Via coaching, training, and facilitation, I'm helping people shift from judgment of others to curiosity about others. Not only is this shift important for the vitality of my client, it's crucial to individual and collective functioning and well-being generally. Indeed, the polarization plaguing societies around the world is a product of rapid judgment of others and inadequate curiosity about what drives them and what we have in common. But what if we paused for a moment? What if we chose curiosity over condemnation? Being less judgmental and more curious can transform both your professional and personal life. Here’s why: 👉 Professionally: It fosters innovation, collaboration, and better decision-making. When we approach colleagues and ideas with curiosity, we uncover diverse perspectives and solutions. 👉 Personally: It deepens relationships and helps us navigate conflicts with empathy. Instead of reacting to someone’s words or actions, we can seek to understand the “why” behind them. Here are three practical strategies to cultivate curiosity and reduce judgment: 1️⃣ Ask Open-Ended Questions Replace assumptions with questions like, “What led you to that perspective?” or “Can you help me understand your thought process?” Questions create space for deeper dialogue and understanding. 2️⃣ Pause Before Reacting When you feel triggered or tempted to judge, take a moment to reflect. Ask yourself, “What else could be true here?” This brief pause can shift your mindset from judgment to exploration. 3️⃣ Challenge Your Biases Actively seek out different perspectives, whether through books, conversations, or experiences. Exposing yourself to new ideas helps you grow and appreciate the complexity of others’ viewpoints. The next time you find yourself ready to judge, try shifting your mindset. Ask, “What can I learn from this?” and "What's it like for the other person?" You will be surprised at the insights that come your way and at how much richer and rewarding your relationships become. What strategies do you use to stay curious and open-minded? #curiosity #connection #relationships

Question your assumptions—or reality will do it for you Imagine you’re confidently walking into a meeting, armed with your data, your vision, & your gut instincts. You’re certain you know what’s going on. Then, 5 minutes in, someone throws out a fact that obliterates your entire argument. You blink. You sweat. You consider faking a WiFi issue. But there’s no escaping it—reality just punched you in the face. That’s the problem with #assumptions. They feel true right up until the moment they spectacularly fail. & in #leadership, every assumption left unchallenged is a potential explosion waiting to happen. Your brain is an efficiency machine. It builds mental shortcuts—heuristics—that help you process information quickly. But fast isn’t always accurate. Psychologists call it confirmation bias: your brain loves to find evidence that supports what you already believe & conveniently ignores the rest. This is why companies that were once giants—think Nokia, MySpace, & Blockbuster—crashed & burned. They assumed they had it all figured out, right up until they didn’t. How to beat assumption-induced disasters? 1. Run an assumption audit Make a list of the assumptions you’re currently operating under—about your market, your customers, your competition, & your team. Then, go full detective mode: What if each of them was false? What data supports them? If you can’t prove them, they’re risks, not truths. 2. Use the ‘Reality Check’ rule For every major decision, ask: What would make me completely wrong? If you can’t answer that, you’re not questioning deeply enough. Great #leaders don’t just prepare for success—they anticipate the ways they might fail. 3. Don’t trust “We’ve always done it this way” There are 6 words that should send shivers down your spine: Because that’s how we’ve always done it. If those words show up in your strategy, your problem isn’t execution—it’s a lack of curiosity. Business graveyards are littered with companies that assumed they were safe because their old playbook used to work. 4. Hire the skeptics Yes-people are comfortable. They also keep you blind. The best leaders surround themselves with people who will challenge their thinking. Hire people who force you to back up your beliefs with evidence—not just your instincts. 5. Prototype, don’t preach Instead of assuming a new idea will work, test it. Build a small, low-risk version & let the data decide. Don’t bet the house on theories—let reality be the judge. The only way to avoid being blindsided by reality is to put your own thinking under the microscope. If you don’t make a habit of questioning your assumptions, reality will happily do it for you—& reality doesn’t do performance reviews, it does public executions. & remember, the real cost of being wrong isn’t a bad decision—because bad decisions can be undone. It’s the irreversible toll of lost time, squandered money, & shattered credibility. & as every #leader knows, those are the 3 things you can’t afford to lose.

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 As leaders, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making snap judgments about ideas, people, or situations. But the best leaders know this: taking the time to understand before judging can change everything. When we judge too quickly, we risk: • Overlooking innovative ideas because they seem unconventional. • Misinterpreting someone’s intentions or capabilities. • Missing the bigger picture in the rush to make decisions. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁: ✅ 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 When faced with a situation, pause. Ask questions like: “What’s driving this behavior or decision?” or “Can you walk me through your thought process?” ✅ 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 Some of the best ideas come from approaches you never expected. Take time to hear diverse viewpoints—they can transform your strategies. ✅ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 Everyone has their own challenges and stories. Instead of jumping to conclusions, try to understand what’s happening beneath the surface. ✅ 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 Not every misstep defines a person’s potential. By showing patience and support, you can help someone grow into their best self. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. Early in my career, I dismissed an idea too quickly because it didn’t seem feasible. But when I revisited it later with fresh eyes, it turned out to be the solution we needed. That experience taught me the value of holding judgment and staying curious. 💡 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: Every person, idea, or challenge deserves a moment of patience. When we pause to understand, we open the door to innovation, collaboration, and trust. What’s one moment where you benefited from not judging too quickly? Let’s share and inspire each other in the comments. 🌟𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 Dinesh Sahu 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 #Leadership #Empathy #OpenMindset #Teamwork #PersonalGrowth VC : RESPECTIVE OWNER

After my conference talk yesterday, marketers said privately, “We’re overwhelmed." Yesterday, I gave my first conference talk on Google's new "AI Mode" - Google's AI mode uses vector embeddings and deep personalization, changing how marketers approach organic visibility. - Traditional keyword targeting and rank tracking are becoming obsolete. After my talk, some attendees vented their frustrations dealing with so much change all at once. E.g. new AI tools, less traffic, AI search platforms. My advice: Get comfortable operating in two distinct mindsets: 1) Creative exploration — Curiosity-driven brainstorming to uncover ideas for new marketing strategies and applications of AI tools. 2) Focused execution — Ruthlessly narrowing down to the most promising ideas and refining them. Trying to explore creatively and execute strategically simultaneously leads to confusion, inefficiency, and burnout. My approach: Separate your innovation process into two distinct phases. Phase 1: Exploration -> Time for open-ended experimentation with new AI tools and marketing strategies. Phase 2: Focus -> Time to identify the most promising ideas, prioritize aggressively, and commit resources to execution. In my work, I toggle between these modes multiple times per week. This works for me as long as I'm clear about which mode I'm in. Otherwise, I might dive too deep into the weeds in exploration mode or get distracted by a tempting new idea in focus mode. Marketers who are clear on when it's time to explore and when it's time to focus can avoid frustration and innovate as the ground shifts beneath us.

Most CEOs make million-dollar decisions the same way they pick lunch. Quick. Gut-based. Rushed. And that’s exactly why 70% of strategic initiatives fail. After working with hundreds of leadership teams, I’ve noticed a pattern: The average founder thinks like a firefighter. 🔥 Problem? → React. → Solve fast. → Repeat the same issue in 3 months. But the best CEOs? They think like detectives. They slow down. Look deeper. And solve the problem under the problem. I learned this the hard way. Sales were tanking. My instinct? Hire more salespeople. Seemed obvious. More reps = more deals… right? Wrong. When I finally stopped reacting and started investigating, I saw it: We didn’t have a headcount issue. We had a clarity issue. Our pricing was confusing. Great leads were ghosting us post-demo. The fix? A simple pricing calculator. Cost: $500 and one afternoon. Result: 40% increase in close rate. The hiring spree I almost greenlit? Would’ve burned cash and made things worse. Here’s how strategic thinkers work differently: 🔸 1. They ask before they answer. What’s actually broken? What’s the hidden cause? 🔸 2. They zoom out before zooming in. How does this fit into the bigger picture? Will this create more issues downstream? 🔸 3. They explore before they act. What else could we try? Have we looked beyond the obvious? 🔸 4. They test before they scale. Can we run a small experiment first? What’s the fastest way to learn? 🔸 5. They align before they advance. Is the team clear on the goal? Are we solving the same problem? Here’s the irony: This slower, more thoughtful process? It’s actually faster. Because you solve the right problem, once. Not the wrong one, over and over. Strategic thinking isn’t about being clever. It’s about building a better decision-making system. One that prevents million-dollar mistakes… And turns tough challenges into smart moves. What’s one expensive mistake that better thinking could’ve avoided? Comment ⬇️ your lesson might help someone else. ——— ♻️ REPOST if this resonated with you! ➡️ FOLLOW Rheanne Razo for more B2B growth strategies, client success, and real-world business insights.

Don’t be in a hurry to judge. Also don’t confuse opinions with judgement. In fact, expose your opinions to context, observation, and curiosity. It will help you.  Build this muscle. It can be learnt, and it will make you a much better leader. I find too many people express opinions as judgement. One bad interaction with a person leads quickly from opinion to judgement. “The person did this to me; he is so mean and cruel. The person is after me.” Any response or action not liked by one can lead to judgement. Or worse judgement can come from biased opinions formed without enough thought or scrutiny. The primordial ones are the worst. When leading it is even more important that we don’t rush to judgement. Take your time and test your forming opinions with facts and talking with others.  Don’t allow a (mis)interpreted action to lead to a firm opinion. But most of all observe and try and understand the context of the other and when you entered their life. It’s different if you join the Ganga at Gangotri versus Kanpur versus Patna or when it is entering the Bay of Bengal. We would do well to try and ask questions to understand. Observe actions of others over time. Equally we must test our own beliefs and biases. See if they affect our judgement. In a work environment it does not require us to like everybody. We can respect people without liking them or having great chemistry with them. But it would be good if we tested our opinions – by talking to others and understanding context of others, by getting more facts, by observing in more situations before we reach a final judgement. Its equally important to get to know ourselves better, it leads to better opinions. So, don’t hurry to judge. Take your time. And as Plato said “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”   

In today’s fast-paced world, especially for business professionals juggling multiple responsibilities, we often lack the time, ability, or willingness to dive deep into complex topics. We live in an age of short videos and quick information, where it’s easy to feel informed after just a few minutes of scrolling. However, this surface-level understanding can lead to overconfidence and even arrogance. We form strong opinions without truly understanding the underlying science, data, or context. This trend is not only prevalent in everyday conversations but is dangerously creeping into critical fields like medicine and business. As a CEO who interacts with other business leaders regularly, I’ve noticed a troubling pattern: strong opinions are often held without the necessary depth of knowledge or understanding. This is a wake-up call for all of us. We must challenge ourselves to dig deeper, seek out diverse perspectives, and rely on well-founded data and facts before making decisions or forming strong opinions. The consequences of not doing so can be significant, affecting not only our businesses but society as a whole. Let’s make a commitment to value depth and understanding over assumptions. In a world full of information, the real value lies in discernment.