If your team isn’t asking ‘why’ at least once a day, you might have a curiosity problem.

If your team isn’t asking 𝘸𝘩𝘺 at least once a day, you might have a curiosity problem.

I got a little meta this morning--getting curious about, well, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺.

Some folks seem to have it baked into their DNA. Others need a nudge to remember how curious they used to be as kids.

Can curiosity be trained?

I think so.

It’s like a muscle, right? If you want a culture of curiosity, you’ve got to make space for people to flex it.

𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞.

On a previous project, I was asked to help create a field course in a domain I hadn’t worked in before: concrete placement. (And for the record, concrete isn’t at all like watching sand dry--lots of science, chemistry, and planning baked in.)

When we scoped the timeline, the reflexive answer was 8 to 12 months--based on standard development ratios and a waterfall/ADDIE process.

That landed with my Ops stakeholder like a... heh, concrete block.

Luckily, we had nurtured a "safe space" culture to question assumptions, so instead of accepting that timeline, we got curious:

• Why 8 months?

• What assumptions is that based on?

• If we had to move faster, what conditions would support it?

That shift--from accepting a tried-and-true process to questioning the process--opened the door to something better.

We went Agile. Delivered the course in phases, each one a minimum viable learning product (MVLP, if you will).

First rollout? 8 weeks — a 75% cut in development time.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐡𝐲.

We focused on just enough content to be useful right away, leaned on SMEs for coaching, and expanded over time until we reached “substantial completion.”

The result? A faster, more relevant course--all because we made space to ask 𝘸𝘩𝘺.

If you want your team to ask better questions, you have to make it safe--even expected--for them to ask.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

• Reward the question-askers. Sometimes the sharpest person in the room is the one who says, “Wait--why do we even do this?”

• Create curiosity space. Build in hack days (or hours). Let people explore ideas outside their lane. That’s where innovation lives.

• Make “why” a habit. Before any project, ask: Why this? Why now? Why this way? Sacred cows don’t survive a few good whys.

• Model it. If you’re a leader, your curiosity sets the tone. Admit what you don’t know. Ask the awkward questions. Your team’s watching.

Curiosity. It’s cultural. And when we get it right, learning becomes second nature.

What’s your best “curiosity saved the day” story? Share it in the comments--I’d love to hear it.