The Role of Curiosity in Problem-Solving

Sunday musing: curiosity is not only required for scientific research, it is also required for anything from daily interactions to professional work. But I think simply saying "Be Curious" is misleading. Because there's another saying: "Curiosity killed the cat", which, if I think about it, is really saying "You Gotta Ask The Right Questions" I remember when I first started my #phd, someone said along the lines of "You are here to learn how to find the right problems to solve" rather than "You are here to learn how to solve problems" Interpreted narrowly, that means coming up with your thesis topic so you can get the hell out of grad school (lol). Joke aside, I think it did make me really appreciate the art of asking questions. Journalists learn the six questions to ask: who, what, where, when, why, how. Good journalist work is about faithfully understanding -- through the eyes of one or more interviewees -- how *they* (not you the interviewer) describe the story. In my family life, this means setting my own emotions aside (as much as I can), asking my children who just had a big fight: what happened? why did you do that? what did you think the other person do to you? (tbh trying to be journalist-like to my 7y and 9y routinely causes me to lose sanity :P) In my work life, this means (with every ounce of willpower I have) not replying to an email that is triggering me or causing me to burst into a "OH HELL NO" --- stepping away, then being curious to myself and asking "WHY am I having a strong negative reaction to whatever was written in that email?" and force myself to say "I have to understand why the other person is proposing [what I do not think is a good idea] before I react negatively; perhaps there is merit in what they say; perhaps I have flaws in my thinking". Being curious...is actually scary. It could mean finding out your scientific hypothesis did not hold up. Or your logic was wrong. Truth is often inconvenient and disconcerting. Being curious...is also hard to do right. It means asking at the right time, right place, with the right words, to the right people. Being curious also means being brave! It takes a lot of courage to ask. It's also awesome --- only with curiosity, can you break out of your existing shell. Or, you know, finally find that elusive thesis topic you've been waiting for ;P

How can curiosity help us in our professional lives? We are born curious. With that desire to know. Over time we either suppress or nurture that curiosity. People who nurture curiosity do well in professions like 🥼Scientific R&D, 💻Technology, 🏭Manufacturing, and 🎨Design. They need to continuously explore, experiment, discover, learn, and understand the known and unknown. Successful designers apply curiosity throughout the design process. 🔍Discover: Curiosity helps us understand our user's needs, behaviors, and environments by observing them with an inquisitive mindset, asking open-ended questions, questioning assumptions, and exploring diverse perspectives, leading to better insights. 🎨Design: A curious mindset allows us to explore multiple design concepts, draw inspiration from diverse sources, and experiment with different approaches to design a solution. ✏Refine: Curiosity is what keeps us tweaking and improving designs based on user feedback and testing different solutions until we find the best one. Curiosity is a #designerly behavior that helps us discover impactful insights, supports creative ideation, and promotes ongoing refinement, to design creative and innovative solutions. You don't need to be a designer to be curious at work. Anyone can apply the designerly behavior of curiosity at work: ❓Problem Solving: Curiosity makes us question the status quo, explore possibilities, and approach problems from multiple angles, leading to more creative solutions. 📖Learning & Growth: Staying curious about the latest trends and developments in our line of work helps us learn, adapt to change, and seize new opportunities. 🤝Authentic Connections: Being genuinely curious about our coworkers’ ideas, perspectives, and experiences, allow us to build stronger, more collaborative relationships. Curiosity is a skill that can be developed and applied as an ongoing behavior by anyone, designers and non-designers alike, to be successful in our personal and professional lives. #curiosity #BeingDesignerly

I remember being an extremely curious kid...always asking questions, inspecting things, deconstructing my toys to see how they operated (Simon was my favorite to take apart), and wondering...gosh, I spent so much time wondering.   My mom taught elementary school for 35 years, and I also remember coming to her with questions (how to spell a word, how to complete a math problem, something about science or social studies). A common reply I received from her was something akin to: "how do you think the word is spelled?" or "where have you looked for the answer?" or "what are the options you are considering?"   Initially, I remember meeting her queries with frustration - I just wanted the answer! Over time, though, I realized the value in curiosity, exploring, searching, experimenting, asking questions, and in being self-sufficient before asking for help.   Now, think about your role as a leader. How often do find yourself:   ❔ wishing/wanting your people to make more decisions on their own ❔ answering questions/solving problems that people bring to you ❔ addressing the same issue (process, performance, or people) multiple times   One of the most empowering and effective things you can do as a leader is engage with your people in ways that allow them to solve their own challenges. Often, this includes asking them questions, as opposed to suggesting solutions or making decisions for them. To make this shift, you can channel Vicki Freedman, and ask questions like:   👌 If I weren’t here, and you needed to make this decision on your own, what would you do? 👌 What are the possible pathways you are considering? 👌 What are the risks associated with the options you are considering? 👌 How does what you are considering align with our strategies and goals? What is the outcome you seek to achieve?   If you need to create through producing well-developed people and teams, resist the temptation to solve problems for your people. Solving problems as a first move teaches learned helplessness. In doing so, you stagnate growth, stunt critical and creative thinking, and limit the amount of time and space you have to create more value for the enterprise. #leadership #thrive #curiosity #growth #empowerment

I posted in December that my word for 2024 is curiosity. As I work on this I am becoming more in tune with the obstacles that sometimes stop me from practicing curiousity. One is time. Sometimes I think “I don’t have time to be curious.” I have issues to address and organizational goals to achieve. The second is habit. I’ve always been a fixer. So when someone comes to me with a problem or obstacle, I automatically want to give the solution. I’ve thought about how I can better practice curiosity. This weekend I decided to write down a list of questions that I can ask. I plan to keep this list of questions on the whiteboard in my office, on the front of my notebook and in my phone as a visual reminder. Here's a list of questions I came up with: ❓What specific issue or obstacle are you encountering? ❓ Can you provide more information about the situation? ❓ What have you attempted to address the problem? ❓What were the results of those attempts? ❓What do you think is causing the problem? ❓ What lessons can we learn? ❓ Are there resources/support you need to address the problem? ❓How can I best support you? ❓Who else on the team might be able to help? ❓How can we turn this challenge into an opportunity for improvement? Asking these questions will help guide productive discussions, encourage critical thinking, and empower team members to effectively problem-solve. As leaders I believe we have an opportunity (and responsibility) to create a safe and empowering workplace for curiosity, learning and making mistakes. I’m working on it! Add your questions in the comments.

Lately, I've been coaching Katie, who found herself feeling lost in her job. Despite her proactive nature and stellar professional background working for big name brands, she still struggled to feel fully integrated into the new organization after six months. It appeared as if she was navigating from one project to another without a comprehensive grasp of the bigger picture. She expressed her frustration during our coaching sessions. That's when I suggested her to schedule meetings with her manager and skip-level to gain more clarity. Katie had attempted this previously with no success. She was starting to believe that perhaps her management didn't have a clear vision either. After much discussion, she realized that her questions were a bit too generic and lacked curious exploration. I suggested Katie this approach instead: ☑ Start by Grasping the Context: Every project has a backstory. Understanding how an initiative came to be can provide a wealth of insight and help you connect the dots. ☑ Explore the Alternatives: Instead of just asking about the problem, delve into the various solutions that have been considered. You might discover something new or identify overlooked options. ☑ Probe into Trade-offs: Instead of merely inquiring about success and failure criteria, dig deeper into the trade-offs involved with each approach. This can reveal what truly matters in the context of a company's current objectives. This fresh perspective made all the difference for Katie as she walked into these meetings. She left the discussions with much more clarity and newfound enthusiasm for her work. So, the next time you seek clarity, remember that the right questions and curiosity can open doors to understanding and connecting with the big picture. 💡  #CareerAdvice #Clarity #getreempowered