Curiosity didn’t kill the cat. Writing this opening sentence, I’m immediately thinking of Schrodinger’s cat! Obscure reference for many I suppose? Get curious by looking it up.
Curiosity as a Starting Point
You may have already read something I’ve written or heard me talk about my mission to become more self-aware. Focusing on curiosity has captured my imagination in very childlike ways. Curiosity is one of my top character strengths (Via Strengths). As I become more aware of how it has manifested in my life and career I see how by embracing it I’m serving my mission to become more #selfaware.
Over my career I’ve certified in a wide variety of personality assessment tools, likely driven by my voracious curiosity. Recently I find myself coming back to the BIG FIVE; the one psychologists identify as the most reliable. It’s something often referred to as OCEAN because the acronym fits as follows:
- O – Open-Mindedness – the degree to which you’re: original, curious, complex OR conventional, down-to-earth, uncreative
- C – Conscientiousness – the degree to which you’re: reliable, disciplined, careful OR negligent, disorganized, undependable
- E – Extraversion – the degree to which you’re: sociable, friendly, talkative OR reserved, inhibited, quiet
- A – Agreeableness – the degree to which you’re: good natured, sympathetic, forgiving, courteous OR critical, rude, harsh, callous
- N – Negative Emotionality – the degree to which you’re: high-strung, insecure, worrying OR calm, relaxed, secure, hardy
Like most assessments it offers a window into yourself. For today, my reflections on this tool are limited to how curiosity increases my self-awareness. I’ve been using it with a few clients and finding it very useful in their discovery as well – perhaps, a bit cleaner than some of the other tools.
The results I’ve observed, after using a few OCEAN assessment tools available, vary depending on which I use. In the first and most definitive example I scored (in percentile) this way: O – 94; C – 53; E – 69; A -1; N – 48. The “1” next to Agreeableness is not a typo – this is my favourite result in any assessment I’ve ever done because it validates how I feel inside. Acceptance of this finding has proven to be a break through in my self-awareness. (I may write more about how I see this in a future post.)
Curiosity & My OCEAN
Curiosity, as I mentioned earlier IS a top core character strength of mine. When recently looking again at my OCEAN findings, I was interested in expanding my awareness of how this manifests in my thinking and behavioral patterns. Perhaps, I’m one of the most disagreeable people you’ll meet. I’m in the 1st percentile! Even the assessment survey said the following: “You find it easy to criticize others.” That’s true. AND, it drives me to be more inwardly reflective as well.
So what is balancing this extreme? Well it turns out, it’s balanced by my open-mindedness (scoring in the 94 percentile). For whatever reason this part of me is better known to me that outside observers which has often puzzled me. What does the assessment say about my openness? “You enjoy novel experiences and seeing things in new ways.” YES I DO. I know I challenge and question people because I want to understand something that seems novel or strange to me. I’ve learned, by being curious, that people feel my questions are part of an intention to find fault and this feels personal to them. This was a huge insight. Self-awareness came flooding in. How did it help me? I now know, to preface my “interrogation” with, “I’m just curious….” You see, It’s up to me to #dothework to adapt, once I know, to improve engagement. Good thing that, with #selfawareness it’s possible.
Here’s a quick little story…
I’m one of 4 sisters and we couldn’t be more different from each other. My sisters know me to be straightforward, opinionated, difficult, reliable and responsible. One day, fairly recently my sister from Vancouver was visiting and we were all sitting around the table chatting after dinner. She was regaling us with stories of when she and her husband go kayaking between islands or along the coast of BC; what they would eat for breakfast in their campsite and the snacks through the day while out on the water. She made an off-handed comment about how oatmeal doesn’t “stick” well enough to sustain them for long so they’ve had to make adjustments.
I was curious. Steel cut oats is my morning meal each and every day because I believe it’s healthy and burns slowly. Surprised by these comments, prompting questions, I was off and running. I was shocked at the response from everyone at the table. Everyone concluded that I was challenging their conclusion that it doesn’t sustain them. I WAS NOT. I wanted to learn. The conversation continued and I was annoyed inside and needed to take a moment to figure out why? Realizing what had triggered me a few minutes later, I asked to revisit the subject, to everyone’s very obvious annoyance. When I explained my curiosity, it took a few members of my family a bit of time to realize I really wasn’t trying to win the argument but to learn. Then, the whole conversation changed. I wish I had learned this a lot earlier in my life.
Curiosity and Learning
Reflecting on curiosity moved my thinking to its impact on learning. This brought me to grab my books from Bohm, the Theoretical Physicist who wrote “On Dialogue”. I’ve been referencing his work for years. When serving as a Senior Performance Consultant supporting a team of executives in a massively expanding business unit for years. Then, as an executive for 10 years. Most recently, using it as the basis for conducting the Rotman RoundTables to address gender violence and sexual harassment.
At first I landed on Bohm’s question about the quality of originality when he writes, “it is very hard to define or specify. Indeed, to define originality would in itself be a contradiction, since whatever action can be defined in this way must evidently henceforth be unoriginal. Perhaps, then, it will be best to hint at it obliquely and by indirection, rather than to try to assert positively what it is”. Bohm’s willingness to acknowledge how obscure such things are is interesting. I connected it to that which derives from our curiosity AND what we see as novel.
Is there anything new under the sun OR is everything “new” simply a re-imagining of what has been before? AND is it possible that this is EXACTLY what makes something “NEW” go viral? WE recognize it as familiar at our core!? It’s novel and still familiar. THIS very realization suggests to me all innovation comes as a result of curiosity. (I just thought of Sophia as I wrote this – her story in my #podcast episode)
Bohm goes on to talk about how some ideas or products considered original is clearly framed by our ability or inclination to impose our preconceptions on how we see them. Specifically adding, that we “must be able to learn something new even if this means that the ideas and notions that are comfortable or dear…may be overturned”.
Bohm reminds us that the ability to learn in this basic way is foundational to all human learning. It starts with our childhood curiosity. That drives us to observe and copy the world. Learning to walk and talk and ultimately “know ” our way around the world through experimentation. We instinctively learn by trying something out and seeing what happens, then modifying our actions or how we think as a result of what we learn. Bohm reflects on how we spend our childhood in this wonderfully creative curiosity, experimenting with all that is new to us. He seems to suggest that the world reduces this curiosity with structure. It’s narrowing the meaning of learning itself, whether through a rigid formal system or later in the workplace approach to training. “So as to make a living, or for some other utilitarian purpose…not mainly for the love of the action of learning itself. So (our) ability to see something new and original gradually dies away. And without it, there is evidently no ground from which anything can grow.” (
Bohm’s conclusion is actually a bit depressing. Still, I’m really encouraged by the current set of articles in HBR. The latest publication only arrived in my box while I was working on this AND I’m pleasantly curious to dig further into it. After my first reading I’m convinced I will need to incorporate some of their findings in my workshops. It is worth reading. Pick up the edition or find them on-line. The articles are called: The Business Case for Curiosity by Francesco Gino; The Five Dimensions of Curiosity by Todd B Kashdan et al; From Curious to Competent by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz et al.
Is That True?
I’m sharing this story as my weekly Instagram video-post. My nephew started University this fall. He’s studying Bio-Medical Engineering. I have frequently referred to him as a Renaissance man, even as early as the age of 6 he demonstrated these odd but charming qualities. I’ve told many stories about him in my workshops. Of course you too have enjoyed the surprise insights from the curiosity of children. The fact that it surprises and delights us is largely making Bohm’s point (see above.)
One Saturday evening when CJ (a nickname I rarely use, at his request, but make a point of using it when sharing his stories) was about 5 or 6 years old. We were watching a Leaf game together. We did this often, though I’m a Habs fan. He understood, or so he said, proving it only by “allowing” me check in on the Habs’ game periodically. It was getting closer to his bedtime (typically the middle of 2nd period) and he was resting his head on my lap as we quietly watched the action. A commercial came on for Home Hardware. If you’re a hockey fan you know how it goes… “Home Hardware, homeowners, helping homeowners” are the lyrics to the jingle. I was tuning it out, likely thinking about how to transition him to his bedtime rituals. All of a sudden he raised his head and, looking up at me he asked, “Roxanne, is that true?” Initially I wasn’t certain what he was talking about. He confirmed he wanted to know if it was true that homeowners were helping homeowners at that store. After thinking about it for a second, I had one quick response and then an excited acknowledgement. This is generally how it went. “Hm, good question CJ, I’m not sure. Would they be allowed to make home-ownership a hiring criteria? I’ve never thought about it….wow, I’m so impressed you asked. Your curiosity and questioning of commercials…wanting to know the truth….. Please continue to question what you hear….especially commercials….all the time. That is such a…..” and I went on and on. It was exciting for me to see his willingness to question what he heard. We settled back into watching the game and a few minutes later he lifted his head again and asked, “Roxanne, what’s a homeowner?” Pure, unadulterated curiosity.
How Can I Help?
Expanding and opening your curiosity is investing in your future. As part of my mission to become more #selfaware and include you in the journey is to spark your natural curiosity. Below are a few ways I am seeking to deliver on my mission.
Curiosity…pushing the tide
I have some experience in pushing the tide. Listen to my BIG WHY Story on the services pages to hear what I learned.
Are you someone who just knows you can do great things but you just haven’t found your voice or your way in?
Do you struggle to feel valued in your workplace AND you just know when you figure it out, you will make a difference?
What needs to happen for you to feel truly satisfied with your career and where it is going?
ARE YOU CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE MADE OF AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU?
Great – check out the upcoming workshop – “Resilience: it takes GRIT”. It’s affordable and very engaging. Learn more…
- on my website in the services section
- and register by checking out the Eventbrite page
- by registering for an ASK ROX RoundTable coming soon – it’s FREE OF CHARGE.
- Register for 1:1 or group coaching with me. Learn more on the related services page.
- Contact me to arrange a complimentary exploratory conversation
- Book me to speak at your conference or to a group in your organization.