Curiosity and Critical Thinking

Having had many coffee chats recently, I’ve realized: Genuine curiosity drives the best conversations. And the way to show curiosity is by asking great questions. I believe asking great questions is the most important skill in any conversation—far more valuable than saying something clever/impressive. In fact, asking great questions is impressive in itself as it involves multiple skills: - Intellectual insight (grasping + building on context) - Emotional understanding (active listening + empathy) - Strong communication (verbal + non-verbal) So, how to ask great questions? We often ask about facts, processes, and surface-level opinions. But the goal should be to go one level deeper. What works for me is asking open-ended questions in these big five: 1. Motivation — "What inspired you to do X?" 2. Decision-making — "How/Why did you decide X?" 3. Emotions — "Are you happy with X?" 4. Challenges — "What was hardest doing X?" 5. Vision — "Where do you see this going?" It’s simple, but it must come from genuine curiosity. You really have to want to know. Be fascinated by people’s lives and stories. Combine this with deep listening, thoughtful contributions and a touch of humor - You'll connect more with almost anyone. And you'll be more memorable to them.

Early in my career I used to think asking questions made me look stupid. Especially in meetings where I was supposed to be the "expert." But the smartest people I know ask the most questions. Take one of my former managers. He'd walk into meetings and ask things like "Help me understand why this approach works better." Because he wanted to really understand. And sometimes he asked the questions in a big meeting, naming the “elephant in the room”. I started copying him. Instead of pretending I had all the answers, I got curious: "What am I missing here?" "What assumptions are we making?" "What is the biggest risk of this approach?" Curiosity builds trust faster than pretending to know everything. Because there’s no one who knows everything, and people know it. Now when I'm stuck on a problem, I don't go for solutions first. I ask questions. It's uncomfortable, but it works. What's the last question you were afraid to ask at work? Why didn't you ask it?

While using Robotics & Automation in our earlier stint at Asian Paints, we always went into the details of system design, functionality, and the underlying tech stack, this helped us to effectively implement these systems faster and reduced the commissioning time significantly. The organisation encouraged this detailed exploration, but our personal curiosity was a driving force. Transitioning from 'Users' to 'Creators' at Addverb, we were amateurs at organisation-building, and that was compensated by our curiosity. It helped us in shaping our work culture, defining our product portfolio, and selecting the right team. Curiosity, more than a mindset, proved to be a tool for asking questions, finding solutions, connecting with people, and navigating a rapidly changing world. Organisations can foster curiosity through different ways, for instance Greg Dyke, who, before officially becoming director general of the BBC, spent five months asking employees, "What is the one thing I should do to make things better for you and for viewers and listeners?”. This helped him get new perspectives, which would not come in the normal course of conversation, Brian Grazer, the famous Hollywood producer would schedule “Curiosity Conversation” with professionals from different backgrounds like scientists, spies, business leaders, adventurers, and this inspired him to create iconic movies like A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, 8 Mile, American Gangster, and many more. At Addverb, we try and consistently promote a culture of curiosity, urging individuals to ask questions and fostering employee connect through programs like "Curious by Choice." This initiative teaches the art of nurturing curiosity. This emphasis on understanding, connection, and continuous growth ensures that our workplace thrives on a foundation of curiosity. As we continue to evolve the future of work, it’s important that we understand that inculcating curiosity will have a big role to play in it. How can curiosity be harnessed to enhance collaboration in a virtual environment? In what ways can leaders nurture curiosity? #Addverb #curiosity #culture #leadership

Curiosity is underrated. Especially when it comes to mindset. When something feels off, we often jump straight into fixing mode. What’s the solution? What’s the fastest way forward? But sometimes, the most effective shift starts with a question, not an answer. 👉 What else could be true here? This is where curiosity becomes a mindset tool. Instead of locking into assumptions or running with a single perspective, curiosity invites us to pause and explore. It opens space between trigger and response. It allows us to notice our default stories and consider new ones. And it nudges us from judgement to possibility. From a psychological perspective, this is known as cognitive flexibility. It refers to our ability to adapt our thinking in response to new information. It is linked to problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and long-term wellbeing. So next time you feel stuck, try swapping self-criticism or certainty for curiosity. It might not change the situation, but it will change how you experience it. And that change can lead to everything else. 🧠 If you want to build a mindset that supports both performance and wellbeing, curiosity is a good place to start.

I know a few people who are not curious -- or at least, they never demonstrate that they're curious about ME. They talk about themselves and their interests, but don't ask me anything about my life. They're not demonstrating helpful curiosity. I also know a few people who ask a million questions that are overly personal, or too pushy, or too prying. What makes this worse is when they don't remember what I've shared nor do they remember when I've told them what I am not comfortable sharing. That's not demonstrating helpful curiosity either. We tend to think of curiosity as just asking questions, but it's way more that that. 1. Helpful curiosity is intentional. It's asking questions that serve the other person, not just feeding your own need for information or filling awkward silence. 2. Helpful curiosity is reciprocal. It creates space for genuine exchange rather than one-sided interrogation or monologue. 3. Helpful curiosity remembers. When someone shares something meaningful, you build on it in future conversations instead of asking the same questions repeatedly. 4. Helpful curiosity respects boundaries. It notices when someone deflects or changes the subject, or even directly says not to go there, and it honors those signals without pushing. 5. Helpful curiosity follows up. "How did that presentation go?" "Did you end up taking that trip?" These small acts show you were actually listening. The people I feel most connected to aren't necessarily the ones who ask the most questions. They're the ones who ask the right questions at the right time, remember my answers, and create space for me to be curious about them too. Curiosity isn't just about gathering information; it's about creating connection. And that requires as much emotional intelligence as intellectual interest. #curiosity #emotionalintelligence #leadership

Assumptions feel fast. But they’re also where trust breaks — and where judgment slips Most professionals don’t stagnate because they lack skill. They stagnate because they believed they already knew. You’ve seen the pattern. You’ve done this before. You trust your gut... So you stop asking questions. That’s when mistakes happen. And that’s when trust quietly erodes. If you want to be right a lot — and earn trust — lead with a question. A single question can prevent: • Delivering the wrong thing • Misunderstanding what someone actually meant • Missing a risk that was obvious to others • Overlooking a dependency that derails everything Early in your career, you’re rewarded for answers. Later in your career, you’re rewarded for clarity — and clarity comes from questions. → “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨?” → “𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” → “𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳.” Better questions → better inputs → better decisions → more trust. A statement closes the conversation. A question opens it. If you want to be trusted, ask better questions. If you want to be right a lot, ask more questions — especially when you think you already know. 𝗣𝗦: Curiosity isn’t slowness. It’s strategy. What's your go-to question to avoid making assumptions? --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for Leadership and Career posts

When you ask questions, are you doing so out of curiosity, to challenge, or to criticize? The intention behind our questions shapes the tone of our conversations—and how safe others feel to respond. Curiosity opens doors. It invites dialogue and connection. It says, “I want to understand.” But when a question is really a disguise for judgment or a trap to prove someone wrong, people feel it—and they shut down. There’s a big difference between “Help me understand your perspective” and “Why would you even think that?” One builds bridges. The other burns them. I had a manager once whose favorite questions almost always started with, “Why wouldn’t you…” It was instruction masquerading as a question. Before you ask someone a hard question, pause and check in with yourself. Are you genuinely open to hearing their answer? Or are you trying to make a point? Sometimes the latter is needed, but don’t overuse it. If you do, you’ll destroy the notion of psychological safety in your relationships. We’re often in a rush to get things done and deliver results, and it’s easy to lose sight of the human being on the other end. We forget that their learning and growth needs to be part of the focus. But when we choose curiosity over critique, we make space for that. Ask questions. But do so to connect, not correct.

The future doesn't belong to the most intelligent leaders. It belongs to the most curious ones. One question has stayed with me for quite some time. Why do some leaders continue to grow long after they've become successful, whilst others slowly become prisoners of their own experience? The more I've reflected on that question, the less I've believed intelligence is the answer. I think it's curiosity. Early in my career, I believed credibility came from having the right answers. Today, I'm much more interested in leaders who ask the questions nobody else is asking. Somewhere along the way I've come to realise that leadership isn't measured by how much you know, but by how willing you are to keep learning, even when experience tells you you've seen it all before. Not long ago I was facilitating a strategy session where two experienced executives were looking at exactly the same challenge. One spent most of the discussion explaining why the current approach still made sense. The other simply asked, "What assumptions are we protecting that no longer deserve protecting?" The discussion changed almost immediately, not because someone produced a better answer, but because someone had the curiosity to question an assumption everyone else had quietly accepted. That conversation stayed with me. It reminded me that experience is one of the greatest gifts leadership gives us, but it can also become one of its greatest blind spots if certainty quietly replaces curiosity. The longer I work with leaders, the more convinced I become that curiosity isn't a personality trait, it's a discipline. Curious leaders notice weak signals before they become obvious. They welcome perspectives that challenge their own thinking. They adapt before circumstances force them to and they create environments where learning is valued far more than always being right. As AI makes knowledge and expertise increasingly accessible, I don't believe the real advantage will come from having more answers. It will come from asking better questions, challenging long-held assumptions and remaining open when certainty feels far more comfortable. Intelligence helps us explain what we already know. Curiosity helps us discover what we've yet to understand. The moment a leader believes there's nothing left to question is often the moment they quietly stop growing. What's one assumption you've challenged recently that changed the way you lead? Or perhaps the better question is this... What belief are you still defending simply because it's worked well enough until now? LinkedIn LinkedIn News UK #HumanLeadership #Leadership #FutureOfWork #LinkedInNews

Sales tip: Default to curiosity, not convincing. Convincing sounds like this: “We’ve developed a breakthrough app that uses AI to predict open spaces in real time. It integrates with city sensors, offers guaranteed spots near the venue, and costs just $9.99 per event. Click here to download.” Feels pushy, right? You’re shoving your solution in my face. You don’t even know if I go to Miami for events. I haven’t even shared my experience yet, and suddenly I’m reading features, pricing, download links. My brain goes, “Here comes the sales pitch, time to tune out.” Compare that to curiosity: “Not sure if you’ve run into this, but I often hear that finding parking in Miami for an event feels like playing Mario Kart. You’re circling the block, dodging scooters, and praying for a spot to open up. How are you handling parking when you go to events in Miami?” Conversation started. Maybe there’s a problem. Maybe not. You’re letting go of assumptions. You’re sorting not selling. Curiosity opens doors. Convincing closes doors. This bears repeating. Default to curiosity, not convincing.

I'm currently working with an organization struggling with low trust internally. In addition to undermining collaboration, performance, and engagement, the environment of low trust is eroding people's curiosity about each other and driving criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, and condemnation. Via coaching, training, and facilitation, I'm helping people shift from judgment of others to curiosity about others. Not only is this shift important for the vitality of my client, it's crucial to individual and collective functioning and well-being generally. Indeed, the polarization plaguing societies around the world is a product of rapid judgment of others and inadequate curiosity about what drives them and what we have in common. But what if we paused for a moment? What if we chose curiosity over condemnation? Being less judgmental and more curious can transform both your professional and personal life. Here’s why: 👉 Professionally: It fosters innovation, collaboration, and better decision-making. When we approach colleagues and ideas with curiosity, we uncover diverse perspectives and solutions. 👉 Personally: It deepens relationships and helps us navigate conflicts with empathy. Instead of reacting to someone’s words or actions, we can seek to understand the “why” behind them. Here are three practical strategies to cultivate curiosity and reduce judgment: 1️⃣ Ask Open-Ended Questions Replace assumptions with questions like, “What led you to that perspective?” or “Can you help me understand your thought process?” Questions create space for deeper dialogue and understanding. 2️⃣ Pause Before Reacting When you feel triggered or tempted to judge, take a moment to reflect. Ask yourself, “What else could be true here?” This brief pause can shift your mindset from judgment to exploration. 3️⃣ Challenge Your Biases Actively seek out different perspectives, whether through books, conversations, or experiences. Exposing yourself to new ideas helps you grow and appreciate the complexity of others’ viewpoints. The next time you find yourself ready to judge, try shifting your mindset. Ask, “What can I learn from this?” and "What's it like for the other person?" You will be surprised at the insights that come your way and at how much richer and rewarding your relationships become. What strategies do you use to stay curious and open-minded? #curiosity #connection #relationships