Your Guide to Finding the Curiosity Advantage

Imagine you come into your plant on a Monday morning and find that your team only completed half of the work they were supposed to complete. What would you think or say? You might immediately jump to negative and judgmental thoughts like:

What a disaster!
Someone should have raised the flag.
This is going to put us off schedule.

When you talk to your team about the issue, these thoughts might also come out as questions: why did no one communicate this issue to me? Why are we so far behind? Why did you do this?

The Problem with Judgment

In moments of high stress, a little frustration is only human. But instead of helping the situation or keeping it from happening again, statements and questions like these divide your team and decrease trust.

This is because they’re coming from a place of judgement. By reacting with judgement, you put your team into a defensive state. And when people feel defensive and threatened, they’re more likely to withdraw. Their priorities shift from solving the problem to protecting themselves, and your chances of finding a productive solution are greatly reduced.

Try Curiosity Instead!

Instead of reacting with judgement, consider approaching with genuine curiosity. To find out what went wrong, try curious questions and statements like:

Help me understand what happened here.
What could we have done differently to get a better result?
I know you were doing your best, so tell me what kind of challenges contributed to this issue.
What’s in the way of you completing this project?

Through curious questions and statements like this, you show you believe in your team and want to work with them to find the best solution for everyone. In turn, this builds a greater sense of trust and connection throughout your team, and can put you on a path toward more unity, decreased disconnect, and creative outcomes.

That’s the curiosity advantage!

Bonus Information

I recently had the incredible opportunity to talking about the curiosity advantage with Penny Zenker on her podcast, Take Back Time. You can listen to my episode here, and be sure to check out other episodes to hear Penny and her guests share amazing insights on time management and more.

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

What’s the secret to retaining your team members and creating an organization where people love to work? DigiKey, an electronic component manufacturing organization in Thief River Falls, Minnesota has it all figured out—and Shane Zutz, DigiKey’s vice president of human resources, is here to share the stories and insights behind DigiKey’s success!

In this episode, Shane shares stories highlighting the importance of curiosity, empathy, and leadership presence, and offers simple-yet-powerful strategies manufacturing leaders can put into action to build trust, accountability, and stronger connections at their own plant.

5:12 – Building a better organization starts with being present and making personal connections

8:13 – If your organization is in a small community, making personal connections is extremely important

9:00 – To find curious ways to engage your team, one strategy is to create a list of questions to ask

13:30 – With a strong foundation, you’ll be better equipped to tackle challenges or crises

15:11 – There is a lot of value in simple gestures, like greeting your team in the morning

18:12 – Personalization goes a long way

22:41 Show care and concern for your team members

Connect with Shane Zutz

Learn more about Digikey

Connect with Shane on LinkedIn and reach out to get added to his newsletter

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks for tuning it to another episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing! To learn more about Trevor Blondeel and Manufacturing Greatness, please visit our website or contact Trevor here.