As the calendar year continues, I invite you to incorporate curiosity to foster a learning culture on your teams. A company that embraces a learning culture will find that their employees communicate better on their teams, in their companies, and with customers or clients. Ultimately, curious learning cultures experience better outcomes.

In a learning culture that embraces curiosity, professionals can have uncomfortable conversations that are assertive and not aggressive, anxious, or argumentative.  Learning cultures support communications from a place of trust, respect, and mutual benefit for the entire team. Learning cultures support curious teams who can communicate openly and honestly because they foster safe spaces to be vulnerable in sharing ideas, delivering feedback, and managing difficult conversations. Learning cultures value everyone moving forward together.

Most often, learning cultures are discouraged because leaders or managers  confuse respecting and listening to employees with their own “need to be right”.  Managers also forget that they chose and hired their employees to get a job completed and forget their responsibility to support the development of mutual trust and respect in these relationships. If a leader or manager cannot trust their team, how can the leader or manager expect team members to trust each other or trust  if themself.

In a learning culture, managers or leaders provide their employees with the opportunity  to be seen and heard without retribution, bullying, or judgment which prevents or eliminates fear in the team or company culture. In a learning culture, leaders or managers demonstrate transparency and open communication particularly around uncomfortable topics,  build trust with their employees, encourage collaboration and feedback from a place of improvement and moving forward together as a team. Curious learning cultures are safe and inclusive environments where everyone is more engaged and productive. 

How to build a customer first culture Discusses how a curious learning culture can help a company better serve their customers and sources of revenue.

Why leaders need to cultivate curiosity in 2021 During our current period of major transformation, a curious learning is a leaders best tool as discussed in this article.

Ask HR In this Q&A, the senior leader explains how fostering a learning culture is key to good communication in a company.

3 Steps to improving conversational capacity The heart of a learning culture is open and honest communication that is driven by curiosity as this article will demonstrate.

Keep curiosity as a habit This post is a light-hearted look at adopting curiosity as a part of your daily discipline, routine, or habits.

If you enjoyed this month’s lesson, I would love if you consider joining Co-Hort 3 of Curiosity Conversationsthat begins April 12^th with a Monday night or Wednesday lunchtime section. To learn more visit our website.