233: Professional curiosity
Gearing up for the annual HR song and dance
It’s performance review season where I work. I’m reminded of Rosamund and Benjamin Zander’s The Art of Possibility, and their teaching concept of “giving the A” where the question becomes, “how are you living into it?” In their conception, evaluation becomes less about standards, and more about possibilities.
Now, the best part is our review process isn’t tied to compensation. No really, it’s actually quite enabling.
Because now we can focus on talent and choices instead of outcomes. How can we help someone who’s been through 11 annual performance reviews find new insights in their 12th? Their 23rd?
“Most of the time, our work is something we have to fight for. It’s not something we’re given, or apply for. It’s what we choose to do.” - Seth Godin
I think a review of a creative person’s performance ought to be rooted in what they fight for, what the creative person chooses.
Less about tasks completed, badges earned, campaigns shipped. Because of course you did those things. And of course you did them to the best of your abilities, aligned with our organization’s values. Yes, of course you “exceeded expectations.”
Instead, let’s discern why and where you said “yes” and “no” where those choices created remarkable value. Where and when and why did your decisions create impact? That sounds a lot more interesting.
I don’t envy HR.
What I’m seeking doesn’t map neatly to a five point scale that has to function for every single role across an extremely diverse work environment.
But for the sake of argument, let’s suggest a new criteria — and we can limit its use to the marketing folks if that makes it less onerous.
It’s one question:
How are you professionally curious?
Not just curious when you have time, or when work requires it.
A few years before they installed AI in this creative world of ours, I wrote, “Curiosity is never an autopilot, involuntary function. To grow stronger, curiosity must be exercised routinely.” Indeed, I suggest curiosity is a muscle.
“I love the notion that curiosity is, in many ways, a generating of tension through expansion and contraction. As muscles go, this is voluntary action. We are willfully seeking and extending to the edges; testing limits of words, images, connections, theories.
The gymnasium here is obvious and all around. Whatever we don’t fathom, or struggle to articulate offers the opportunity to strengthen our curiosity. This is May’s giving ourselves to the encounter. Hence, the challenge. This is real work. To willfully exert our minds in comprehending unknown realms takes effort. It might be ugly, or painful. It takes commitment to return to the wheel again and again. And the benefits are typically not clear. Reading to understand, researching to connect the dots, writing to test and iterate do not generate six pack abs. A svelte curiosity might not get you a first look at the local dating pool. But it can help close the deal.”
So, curiosity is a muscle.
And now the gym has received quite an upgrade with AI. Our muscles can fathom further, faster. But the effort — to choose, to exert — remains ours alone for now.
That’s what I’d like to review. Here’s how we might make that real.
First, a hat tip to Adam Morgan’s Let’s Make This More Interesting podcast (Apple, Spotify), specifically the recent two-part interview with Rory Sutherland (1, 2), upon whom I have lavished praise many times. Honestly, stop reading this and go listen to Adam and Rory. Because in that conversation they reference Will Guidara’s book Unreasonable Hospitality, and link it to the behavioral economics concept of Explore/Exploit.
TL/DR: “Exploit” is 95% of your day-to-day, making the most of existing systems to deliver what’s expected on time and to spec. This is often the realm of CFOs and COOs. Also, it is generally what a typical performance review reviews. Whereas “Explore” is that rare 5% where you carved out time to seek the unexpected; where you took your curiosity muscles back to the gym.
We can measure curiosity three ways:
Time spent in the gym: How often and when?
Range: Internal (i.e. curiosity around craft and skill) vs External (i.e. curiosity for an industry, a fellow practitioner, a genre)
Fruitfulness: What did you learn which you can exploit?
Express the outcome in a succinct paragraph.
Discuss.
Get back to creating meaningful impact, now armed to do it better.
Meanwhile…
A hopeful perspective related to AI and creativity.