As Ted Lasso says: “Be curious, not judgmental.”

That’s more than a great line. It’s a powerful leadership practice—and one worth developing.

Why?

Because curiosity contributes to psychological safety – which is much more than a buzz word.

Google’s Project Aristotle identified psychological safety as the most important dynamic of high-performing teams. When people feel safe to speak up, question, disagree, and share ideas, teams perform better.

So ask yourself, is it possible to judge a bit less and improve your ability to become more curious?

Our brains naturally judge. It’s what they’re designed to do. The leadership opportunity is to notice the judgment—and realize it can lead to assumptions and underestimating people. When we do that, people feel it. And guess what? Low expectations lead to low productivity. And it does a number on morale.

Instead of judging and assuming, the recommendation is to get curious and ask: What else might be true? Could I be I missing something? Might I be judging because they’re younger, older, or just different? Might I be automatically shutting people down?

If there’s one thing we could all use in this AI world, it’s stronger connections/people. The 6 or so seconds it takes to shift from judgement to curiosity will absolutely support that effort.

Clear feedback and accountability matter. But so does goodwill, good energy—the belief that people generally have good intentions. And truly want to grow, expand, feel good about their work.

Let’s give them that.

The practice of becoming more curious is an investment of time. It’s also an investment in trust, collaboration, communication—and your bottom line.

Curiosity doesn’t take much more than awareness. And self-honesty! And good news…Curiosity gets easier, over time. And the return can be significant.

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— iVoice Communication, Inc: Communication Education. Training. Coaching. Speaking. Let’s chat…If this resonates.

Elevate Communication, Expand Leadership: https://ivoicecommunication.com/

Book a 15-Minute Introductory Call if you/your teams need support: https://calendly.com/ivoice/15min

Lasso Video: BE CURIOUS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x0PzUoJS-U