7 Ways to Nurture Employee Curiosity

Are you unintentionally stifling employee curiosity?

Are you glossing over the questions they have, the clarifications they desire or the ideas they need to be heard?

It’s a real front-line management problem: Managers eager to help try – or in a hurry to get things accomplished – jump in before employees can dig in.

It happens. We get caught up in the haste to get things done. We move from project to project without delay so that productivity won’t screech to a halt.

Bigger Problems When We Stifle Employee Curiosity

If so, you could be undercutting your own business. That’s because curious employees are engaged employees. They want to learn and do more.

But when managers stifle employee curiosity, they squelch their teams’ ability to think through problems, come up with solutions, and generally see the forest behind the trees.

Still, why should you care about keeping employees curious?

Because they care.

A state of curiosity survey by Merck showed employees think curiosity should be more important:

• 52% say their workplace creates barriers to curiosity into their work.
• 55% of the employees don’t feel there is sufficient time for fostering their own creativity.

There are small but effective ways to keep employees eager to learn new things. Start with these seven  ideas shared by successful managers and business leaders:

1. Challenge the Game

Give some of the big stuff to your rookies once in a while.

This levels the playing field for entry- and mid-level employees to come up with and implement top-notch ideas, instead of assuming that’s the job of the higher-ups.

“In my experience, some of the best ideas come from within the ranks,” says Cecilia Gorman, a certified John C. Maxwell speaker and trainer. “They look at things with fresh eyes and are eager to see change.”

Let employees who come up with novel ideas spearhead efforts to get them into practice, and let them know you’ll help but that it’s mainly their move. With that in mind …

2. Get Out of Their Way

There’s no sense in encouraging employees to express ideas only to cheer them on – then stand in the way of making them happen.

If you’re just giving lip service to employees’ contributions, they’ll recognize right away that you don’t take their ideas seriously enough to act on, and they’ll stop showing the curiosity you’re looking for.

3. Make Them Ask Questions

Albert Einstein famously said, “I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious.”

It’s impossible to know if employees have curiosity unless you allow them to ask questions, says Greg Schinkel, manager and team leader trainer. “Organizations can snuff out curiosity by dismissing questions that could lead to new discoveries.”

If your employees aren’t big questioners, Inc.com 500 entrepreneur and author Kevin Daum suggests an easy way to prompt them to do more asking. At meetings or presentations, tell employees to jot down at least three questions that occur to them during the discussion. If they don’t get to ask them during the meeting, tell them to send them to you afterward.

Even if most questions already have answers, this still provides you with an idea of how each employee is thinking about what was presented, and may even open up avenues you didn’t think of during the meeting.

4. Listen More Closely

You’re never going to get curiosity from your employees unless you actively mine them for ideas.

When you sense that your team has grown weary of doing the same old things you tell them to do, it’s time to open it up to suggestions. If they’re curious enough to question the old, familiar processes, they might have thought of a more effective way to get things done.

See what’s churning beneath the surface when you hold regular briefings, especially those that commonly address the same problems or issues. You shouldn’t be the only one directing all the ideas and solutions for every single project.

5. Frame Learning as a Perk

Many managers think that if they encourage employees to take seminars or attend conference sessions to keep up with field advancements, the employees will think it’s just another job requirement. This tends to dampen their curiosity to learn more.

When you present learning opportunities in a more positive light, employees will feel you’re invested in their success, both in the present and the future, says Kelsey Meyer, co-founder of Influence & Co. Employees will be happier and more fulfilled, and your company will reap the benefits.

6. Put Coaching on the Front Burner

The best way to get the most curiosity out of coaching is by providing a one-on-one experience with employees.

Remember: You’re not the only one who can coach; enlisting knowledgeable employees as coaches can benefit their co-workers and their entire team.

7. Delay Critical Feedback

When employees are unprepared for specifically targeted feedback, they’re likely to shut down, causing your coaching efforts to be wasted and potentially even backfire.

Any curiosity they had they’ll try to hide because they don’t want to ask “dumb questions” and come across as naïve.

Even well-intentioned coaching, especially in a one-on-one setting, can be taken personally. Make sure that even if you have to give some not-so-positive feedback, you at least commend the employee for making a good effort, especially if it involves showing curiosity and taking risks.

Keeping employees curious is an often understated but critical part of any manager’s job. The trick is to keep them engaged and invested enough so it rises to the surface – without you needing to fish for it.