Including our “just a thought” “just my 2 cent” opinions.

According to science, the “information gap theory of curiosity” discovers that in order for humans to want to search for more, to push forward, we need a little gap between what we know and what we don’t know.

Because this special gap invites one of the most esoteric thing we all crave – curiosity.

There is no quicker way to snub curiosity than “knowledge.” More precisely, we as bosses must know when our “thought” will leave no gaps to fill, no questions to answer.

I am sure we have all been in discussions where the entire conversation shape-shifted the moment the boss dropped in his or her opinion.

Even if it was “just 2 cent.”

Think:
How am I perceived as a boss?
What is the weight of my words?
Where is the team at in this discussion?
How am I working on mastering the craft of “chiming in as a boss?”

Shut up, and #bossbetter

I have met boring folks that were extremely skilled at being curious.

Some say, creativity is more than just being curious.

It is the capacity to be puzzled and annoyed.

It is the ability to probe and ask useful questions.

It is the doggedness of staying with the question,

and not the answer.

It is the courage to argue, to be wrong, to be humiliated.

It is the ability to hold opposite viewpoints simultaneously.

It is the shamelessness to change minds, to know when and how to switch from one dream to another.

So yea, get good at staying hungry and staying foolish.

Work diligently and #bossbetter.

There are 3 parts of not knowing: The knowing, the un-knowing, and the re-knowing …

Sorry, let me try again.

One approach to “not know” is to treat the unknown as an invitation to learn. Sometimes we turn away and focus on something else when things don’t make sense. Condition ourselves to pause whenever we encounter something that don’t make sense. Accept the invitation. Dive in:

– Your teammate make a pointless comment- find out more.
– A customer decides not to finish the check-out process- investigate!

As we probe, take note of all the explanations appearing in our minds. The first time we think one there is an explanation, intentionally refrain from concluding and probe more. This is a “speed bump” to make us think slower- Daniel Kahneman’s way to battle biases.

“I am thinking ‘He is not motivated.'”
“I need to not thinking that.”
“Ok, what is going on?”

Yet humility is hard. It is an alchemy of honesty, curiosity, and courage- some of the most elusive virtues in the galaxy.

Worst, the side effect of fake humility is hypocrisy, a reputation-ruining tattoo that no managers want on their foreheads.

I want to convince you that there is a way to “fake humility till you make it.”

THE SCHEME
Broadcast your learning to your teams. The key here is you must only share things you’ve learned from them. Not from a book, not from one of Gary Vaynerchuk’s rally cries, but from your teams. Commit to doing this every day.

WHY DOES THIS WORK?
1st, committing something in public improves your chances of achieving it. Most of us aren’t completely shameless.

2nd, when you only share things you learn from them, you will start to taste the feeling of discovering excellence in others. Once you have tasted the greatness in others, you can’t help but be humbled.

Once you have tasted real Kobe beef, you can’t go back.

Trite? Perhaps, but this makes you #bossbetter.