by Judy Ryan
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” — Albert Einstein, physicist
In working with organizations, I realize how crucial is being curious and its relationship to success. When we are curious, we are receptive. We are open to learning and growing. We question in an open-hearted and open-minded way about how we think, feel and behave and how others do too. We consider the immense world in which we live, and boldly explore its vast mysteries, advances, and shifting social, emotional, and spiritual developments. Only with curiosity can we respond effectively and create new and better solutions.
How We Listen
How we listen is directly connected to how much, and to what end, we are curious. I help people consider how they listen and expand into greater consciousness and flexibility in doing so, to foster deep curiosity. As you consider how you are listening to yourself and others, you are in essence curious about what is most helpful. This is required if you seek high trust and collaboration. Both are foundational to a successful organization, and are required to meet today’s complexity, speed of change, diversity, new technologies, and globalization.
Some of us are conditioned to listen to get inspiration or pleasure. Others to get details that determine responsibilities. Others to emotionally support with empathy. Others to evaluate options. My favorite is listening for patterns to support competency. All these must be in our toolbox if we want achieve the highest levels of trust, collaboration, critical thinking and conscious living needed for success.
What do curiosity, receptivity and how to listen have to do with business success? First, to be curious is an act of courage and required to expanded human potential. Receptivity and promotion of curiosity are often missing inside most organizations (including schools, churches and homes). This is because being curious has been a cue to authority figures to provide answers, when in reality, like the philosopher Socrates promoted, more questions and better listening would be much more helpful. Questions encourage critical thinking, inherent skills and intuitive wisdom otherwise unexplored. I say use S.L.A.M. Say less, ask more (then listen).
One of the reasons I learned, promote and apply the individual psychology of Alfred Adler in my work is due to what has been done to most of us by well-intentioned authority figures. Conventionally, developing people (at all ages) has been more about doing and saying things to them rather than providing the conditions and conversations so they embrace, own, celebrate and guide their personal power with skill, sophistication and, purpose and values-based intention. Only with the right concepts, tools, support and processes will this occur.
People want to feel they belong and that they matter. They want to experience their power-within. They want to feel connected with power-between. They want to contribute through power-for one another. What has been cultivated however, often without recognition, is use of power-over practices and reactive power-under responses. This leaves people discouraged from being curious, receptive and most importantly in feeling seen and heard. These are at the root of why I am doing my work in helping people share power, support courage and transfer responsibility that allows for not only curiosity but deeply needed compassion and connection.
Too often, businesses are focused on symptoms. They witness struggles within and between people. These symptoms must beg the question: What system if put in place would fix or eliminate these struggles? Not the symptoms but the underlying root causes. May you read this and get curious. This question must replace “Who’s to blame?” The question provides the catalyst needed for your business to evolve, survive and thrive!
Judy Ryan (judy@LifeworkSystems.com), human systems specialist, is owner of LifeWork Systems. Join her in her mission to create a world in which all people love their lives. She can also be reached at 314-239-4727.
People hire LifeWork Systems because we help businesses become agile and manage their priority system: their human system. I hope this article helps you make sense of what’s most crucial to your evolving organization!