How often do you feel like you’re expected to have all the answers? In fast-paced work environments, curiosity often takes a back seat to expertise, efficiency, and execution. But what if asking more questions, rather than knowing more answers, is actually the key to achieve results?
Ever been in a car with a kindergartener? The tiny, insistent voice will drive you half-mad with questions.
What makes the car move?
Who named the roads?
Why is the sky blue?
How come every cloud is different?
Why doesn’t wind have a color?
And on and on and on.
Their curiosity is relentless. They’ll find a hundred different ways to ask questions and will rarely be satisfied with the answers you give, one answer leading to another dozen questions or more. Their hunger to learn is insatiable.
The Problem With Knowing It All
While sometimes exhausting for parents and other passengers, there’s something magical about the approach kids take when it comes to learning. It’s not colored by prior knowledge or experience. More importantly, it’s not tainted by ego.
As we age, our curiosity gets quieter. It’s natural to feel like we “should” know the answer to the questions others ask you. Not knowing can feel uncomfortable or even leave you feeling unworthy if it’s a topic for which you “should” have amassed some level of expertise. The sense of wonder and curiosity we held so effortlessly as children gets replaced by the pressure to “get it right” in adulthood.
And it’s a shame. Not just personally, but for teams and businesses who care about solving the right problems and adapting for the better.
Why We Value “Learners” Over “Knowers”
At PJWS, we celebrate curiosity because it is a trait that signals the humility and tenacity of a true learner. Our engineers alongside our operations team approach problem solving at a higher level and find more creative and innovative solutions when they unleash their curiosity on the biggest challenges we face as a business. We value and celebrate “learners” over “knowers” because our long-term success depends on our ability to adapt, change, and grow.
This doesn’t mean we don’t value experience and expertise. It’s the opposite, in fact. When you couple experience with curiosity, what you get is a rare and valuable skillset that accelerates growth and results for both the business and humans behind it. It’s in this way that we remain committed to building better.
Can We Reignite Our Curiosity?
So, if it’s natural to lose the inherent curiosity that we have as children, but it’s powerful to couple deep curiosity with lived experience, can the behavior of curiosity be re-engaged? We think so, yet it requires intentionality and commitment.
In her book, “Dare to Lead,” Brene Brown talks about the need for leaders to be more interested in “getting it right” than “being right” – a concept that takes humility and courage but is core to the ability to deepen your curiosity.
Shifting your mindset is often the critical starting line for becoming more skilled at curiosity. It can feel vulnerable and uncomfortable making this shift, but when you reset the expectation of yourself as a “learner” and not a “knower”, it becomes easier to question and explore even everyday things you experience.
4 Ways to Practice Curiosity at Work
Here are four simple prompts to practice and deepen curiosity once you’re committed and ready to rebuild the skill within yourself. One hint as you try these strategies is to be upfront with others that you are working on developing your curiosity, so they don’t wonder why you’re suddenly digging into things you haven’t before:
- Ask a new team member, “what’s something we’re doing that doesn’t make sense to you?” Hearing a fresh perspective without judgment or explanation may spark a new idea or an opportunity for continuous improvement.
- Think of a problem you are trying to solve. Name one assumption you have made. Ask yourself, “What if the opposite were true?” Challenging the status quo of your thinking regularly may shake loose new thinking and better solutions.
- Consider your workplace. Identify a process you’ve never questioned. Ask, “why was it designed this way?” and commit to finding out. Engaging in conversation with others to understand the origin of something is not only useful for your own learning, but it might also create a dialogue that results in saving time or money.
- Commit to a week-long “Curiosity Sprint & Reflection” to challenge yourself to be intentional about practicing, measuring, and reflecting on your curiosity. Start each day by setting an intention about what you want to work on and end each day by scoring your curiosity and keeping track of what you noticed, wondered, explored, and learned. This is a simple, but powerful way to quickly deepen your curiosity. I have a template to capture your reflections – send me a note if you’re interested in using it.
A Mindset That Builds Better
Curiosity isn’t just a trait we admire in children. It’s a powerful capability we can reignite in ourselves.
In a world that often rewards answers over inquiry, choosing to approach work with a mindset of wonder is both radical and deeply impactful. When we let go of the pressure to always know and instead embrace learning as a lifelong pursuit, we open the door to better thinking, stronger collaboration, and more meaningful innovation.
Ready to Reignite Your Curiosity?
My challenge to you, try just one of the prompts above this week. Share what you discover with someone on your team. And the next time a question pops into your mind, even one that feels obvious or overdue, ask it. Lean into the discomfort. Follow it down a rabbit hole.
Because building better starts by wondering more.
Tracey Fletcher, Chief People Officer | Tracey.Fletcher@wallbankindustrial.com