Balancing Certainty and Curiosity

Our most cherished beliefs often need to give way for innovation to emerge. Why? It’s simple. Thinking leads to action and our actions lead to results. We can only change ourselves and our organizations by changing our thinking.

Yet, giving up (or suspending) our personal agendas, our biases, our deep beliefs, our most logical conclusions is very difficult. No wonder. These mental habits help define who we are. They are part of our identity.

Genuine curiosity is a great way to “update” our thinking. It also encourages others to be more open and truthful.

But merely being curious is not enough. We must also be willing to be less certain-admit that we don’t know everything. By being certain, we lose the capacity to inquire and listen deeply-necessary skills for effective collaboration and innovation.

One of the best ways to improve our thinking is to improve our conversations with others. Conversations are one of the primary ways we “think together.”

What conversations are you in right now that balance creativity and curiosity? What current innovations could use a better balance?