Dr. Diane Hamilton's Blog
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The Power of Perception in Organizations
As leaders strive to improve their corporate cultures, they often neglect to recognize a pivotal contributor to the success or failure of their organizations. The most effective leaders understand the value of perception. When we hear that word, we might think of an Internet meme of whether we see the blue or gold dress. Or, we might envision a picture with two circles that fool us into thinking they are different sizes. However, perception is much more than just how we see things. If we incorporate our intellect (IQ), emotions (EQ), culture (CQ), and curiosity (CQ2), we get our perception quotient (PQ). Through understanding the value of perception, leaders can tap into their employees’ abilities to improve communication and develop awareness by asking questions, which leads to developing empathy and interpersonal skills. Without recognizing the interconnection of these crucial components, organizations can miss opportunities to improve partnerships, expand into new markets, build innovation, and become a key player in a global economy. Because of this, there has never been a more critical time to develop our perceptual awareness. That begins with understanding the process.
How to Promote Curiosity in the Workplace
You have probably taken a DiSC, MBTI, Emotional Intelligence, or other personality assessment. What you might not have taken yet is the assessment everyone is talking about, which is the CCI. The Curiosity Code Index™ (CCI) is a new assessment that tells you what inhibits your curiosity and helps you develop a plan to improve.
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Top 10 TED Talks for Insight on Curiosity
Curiosity has been linked in engagement, emotional intelligence, communication, motivation, creativity, innovation, productivity and more. As part of research for Cracking the Curiosity Code, combing through TED talks was a fascinating way to review some important research into the area of curiosity. The following includes some highlights from some of the most insightful talks that inspire and educate regarding the importance of curiosity.
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Curiosity: The Key to Improving Innovation, Engagement, Creativity, and Productivity
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious” – Albert Einstein
Everyone is born curious. So, what happens? Why do some people become less curious than others? For individuals, leaders, and companies to be successful, they must determine the things that hold curiosity hostage. Think of the most innovative companies, and you will notice they employ people who do not accept the status quo, they are not reluctant to change, they evolve with the times, they look for problems to solve, and focus on asking questions.
Billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates held a question and answer session at Columbia University. Just after the 5-minute mark, the moderator asked, “What is it that you two share?” They both answered with the same thing: curiosity. Buffett said, “Well, we both certainly share a curiosity about the world.” Gates said, “I think that curiosity that Warren mentioned, is an amazing thing.”
What Holds Us Back? 4 Things Holding Our Curiosity Hostage
We are often told to follow our passion. Even if we determine our passion, some things hold us back from pursuing our natural sense of curiosity. Curiosity has been called a sort of mental itch. There are surprisingly few studies about curiosity because it is difficult to study. Some people are more naturally curious than others. It can be important to have curiosity hardwired into us because it helps us grow and develop. There are factors like stress, aging, drugs, genetics, etc. that could impact our level of curiosity. Outside of medical issues or lack of financial capabilities, I have found four major things that hold people’s curiosity hostage including fear, the way things have always been done, parental/family/peer influence, and technology.
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