BE CURIOUS.
In the search for the best solutions, challenge and question what you don’t understand. Don’t accept anything at “face value” if it doesn’t make sense to you. Always ask why. Dig deep and get at the root cause of problems by asking thoughtful questions. Apply that learning to mitigate future risks.
You might be curious why this is one of our Fundamentals ☺. Before I go in to my story about this, let me qualify the whole notion by saying that the attitude this FOW calls upon us to display is good natured, problem-solving oriented, constructive challenging and questioning. This is not ‘standing up to the man,’ rebel without a cause cynicism and negativism. “Why are ‘they’ making me do this,” or “why are you so stupid,” doesn’t really live up to the spirit of things! Now for the story…
My brother-in-law, Larry, grew up in Spokane Valley. One summer day, Larry’s friend, Grant, came by on his motorcycle to hang out. When Grant was ready to leave, his motorcycle wouldn’t start. They were perhaps 16 at the time, a long time ago. They were not mechanics but decided nonetheless to try and fix the motorcycle. After a time, they had pieces and parts of the bike on Larry’s driveway and they were trying to puzzle out the problem. They invented highly complex theories to explain the issue but were still unable to get the problem solved. Along comes Larry’s little brother, Chuck:
Chuck: “What are you guys doing?”
Larry & Grant: “What’s it look like (intonation dripping with an unsaid, ‘you stupid kid’)? Grant’s motorcycle won’t start.”
Chuck: (Looking at the gas tank on the ground), “Does it have gas?”
Larry & Grant: (With extreme attitude), “Don’t you think we thought of that? Go away!” Chuck goes away.
Larry & Grant: To each other, “Hmmm, we never really looked in the tank.”
Sure enough the bike was out of gas. Simple and obvious but they’d missed it. They got the bike running, after reassembly and the addition of fuel.
The point here is that Chuck who new absolutely NOTHING about the thing, solved the problem (of the malfunctioning motorcycle, not Larry and Grant’s stupidity or attitude). How? Simply by being curious and asking questions! In fact, Chuck’s ignorance and his willingness to show his ignorance actually solved the problem, because he asked the right question.
I developed a saying about a year ago, that goes like this: “My ignorance is boundless!” How can I say that? I know a lot of stuff, but compared to infinity knowledge that could be learned, I know nothing at all! Why do I look at things this way? Because it forces me to be humble about the knowledge I do have and to continuously and curiously pursue more knowledge and better ways of doing things.
Asking why with genuine curiosity and with a giving, problem solving spirit can truly make the world a better place. There is not one single thing at Stellar (or anywhere else for that matter) that cannot be improved. The way things get better is that people are willing to ask, “why is it this way?” and “how could we do it better?”
One more thought: if you are on the receiving end of someone else’s constructive curiosity, suspend your pre-conceived notions and listen generously, their question just might make your life better!
