The world as we know it has evolved because of people whose curiosity was encouraged, resulting in a host of unexpected discoveries. Today, however, we tend to avoid curious exploration to mitigate the risk from the unknown. Smart L&D teams realize that curiosity is no longer an option but a necessity to emerge from the events of 2020 stronger, and ready to add business value. Here we discuss how intentional curious cultivation, can indeed lead to business value and spoiler...higher potential revenue. And who doesn't want that?

1. Complacency
Killed the Cat
Why L&D Needs to
Rethink Curiosity
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Are you ready?
Shannon Tipton
Shannon@learningrebels.com
@stipton
FB/Instagram: LearningRebels
LearningRebels.com
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Poll
Do you consider yourself to be curious?
Chat: What does curiosity look like to you?

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“
The desire to understand
what you do not. ~
William James, 1899

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Goal
today
Looking at
curiosity as a
business asset
Jumpstarting
curiosity as a
mindset
Providing space
for
experimentation

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Curiosity as a
business
asset?
https://hbr.org/2019/01/surveymonkeys-ceo-on-creating-a-culture-of-curiosity

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7
Survey
Said…
IBM Institute for Business
Value conducted a
survey of 1,500
c-level executives.
What do you really need
in leadership?
The answer creativity.

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Survey of
520
CLO’s…
Discourage curiosity
because the company
would be harder to
manage, and
disagreements would
arise slowing
productivity and
execution.

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McKinsey
Leadership
Survey…
Leadership values and requires
employees who question the
status-quo.
However, research shows that
management intentionally (or
unintentionally) suppress efforts
to mitigate risk.

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“
Culture eats strategy for
breakfast

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Higher levels of
collaboration
More Open
Communication
More accepting of
positive changes
Less Confirmation
Bias
Reduced Group
Conflict
Curiosity
helps
business
Chat – Other ideas?
HBR: The Business Case for Curiosity

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Curious
People
Succeed
Steve
Jobs
Percy
Spencer
Bill
Gates
Spencer
Silver
Charles
Goodyear
Georges
de Mestral
Chat – how can you directly tie curiosity to
engagement to collaboration to business results?

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“
Diversity leads to more
curiosity and collaboration
Generating 19% higher
revenue
https://www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation

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Jump Starting
Curiosity

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Epistemic: Stimulate
intellectual interest i.e. “There
must be a better way”.
Perceptual: Calming the itch in
our minds #whodunnit
2
Chat- Which mostly describes you?

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Changing your
mindset
Think beyond curiosity as being
a temporary state of inspiration.

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“
Curiosity results from a
motivation to master one’s
environment
R.W. White, 1959

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Making Questioning
a Practice
Embrace Uncertainty
Taking an interest beyond THIS moment
Look at reality from a different point-of-view
Challenge what you think you know
Chat – What are some current realities we can reframe?

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Challenge what
you know
Humans use all
their brains, not
just 10%
Bats are not blind
Left-brained people
and right-brained
people are the same
The Ebbinghaus
Forgetting Curve,
isn’t a consistent
“curve”
Marie Antoinette
did not say, “Let
them eat cake”
George
Washington did
not have wooden
teeth
Napoleon was not
short
Goldfish have
memories that last
months, not
seconds

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Discovery through Intentional Cultivation
Discovery is not made without intent. Cool but has diminishing returns.
(perpetual curiosity)
Chat – Where do your best ideas come from?

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“
Curiosity is something you
have to fight for or else it is
subsumed by other tasks

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Develop reading
and/or activity groups
Visualize Notes Listen | Watch | Read
Take a class
Find Playlists to
Share
Chat – Other ideas?
Discovery
through
Intentional
Cultivation Harvard X or
OpenUniversity.com
Ted Talks | Masterclass | Feedly
Go1 | Podcasts | Audio Books
Mindmap | Sketchnoting
Reading Guides | Activity Sheets
http://bit.ly/curiosity_primer

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“
Curiosity is not a checklist.
It’s an action woven into
your life

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Space for
Experimentation

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Experimentation
the
thread
is
Curiosity
Chat – how can you directly tie curiosity to
engagement to collaboration to business results?

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Curiosity
Experimentation
Creates workplace opportunities
Workplace improvements
Employee engagement
Loyalty
A more flexible and adaptable culture

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04
03
Change
vocabulary
Sharing Progress
05
02
01
Rethink Brainstorming.
Feedback
Department websites
Rewarding effort
Reconsider your Environment
Change mindset
around
questioning
Supporting
Experimentation
Reframing questions before
meeting
Deep thinking & Focused work
Collaboration
Relaxing
What if…
How about…
Ban: “never’ & “always”

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Lean into
Failure
Building psychological
safety into everything
you do.
Build a comfort level in
not knowing and making
mistakes.
https://learninguncut.libsyn.com/emergent-series-accelerating-learning-from-failure-brian-murphy-and-jeff-mariola

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However
Mistakes shouldn’t be the
default
Consider:
Mistakes without accountability
-vs-
“Please, make mistakes"

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Now what?

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Determine
Gap
Growth
mindset?
Intentional
Discovery
Deep
Questioning
Share &
feedback

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Act
Change
Environment
Chat – What can you today to build curiosity into all you do?
Activity
sheet
Behavior
Model
Show
Business
Value Share
Experiments

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Thank you
Shannon Tipton
Shannon@learningrebels.com
Twitter: @stipton
FB/Instagram: LearningRebels
LearningRebels.com
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