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Interview with Who* Not What Alum

Click below to listen to the audio interview with a friend, and W*NW alum, Wayne. Wayne was interviewed by our colleague John Ott.

Small Group #5 Questions

Incorporate the questions below into your Small Group Discussion:

1. What got your attention from the interview with Wayne? Why do you think this got your attention?

2. If you already completed your Codification, is there anything you would like to share about your answers or even the process of completing it? If you did not already complete your Codification, what is your plan for setting aside time to author it?

3. How can you finish the Curious module strong? How do you plan on continuing to become more Curious even after the module is complete?

Welcome to CODIFICATION!

Instructions:

1. Set aside about 90 minutes to sit with and reflect upon the Codification questions.

2. Click on the button below to access the document.

3. Answer the questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT #4

defensiveness and curiosity

Watch the video below to learn more about defensiveness as an enemy of being Curious . . . and what to do about it.

Small Group #4 Questions

Incorporate the questions below into your Small Group Discussion:

1. Based on what you have already shared in your Weekly Check-ins, expand on any impactful learnings or observations. Did anything surprise you? Was anything particularly challenging? Did anything change in your levels of being Curious?

2. Which of the statements made by Sarah Spiker in the “Defensiveness and Curiosity” video (above) got your attention and why?

3. Share with your Small Group situations or people with whom you commonly find yourself defensive. Have your Small Group suggest ways in which you can uniquely apply the two steps (from the video) to your circumstance.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT #3

Being curious about people

While intellectual curiosity can make us more knowledgeable, it falls well short of making us more Others Focused. Unfortunately, when you read research studies and articles about being more Curious, you find that they talk about being Curious almost exclusively in terms of intellectual curiosity. But the article linked below is different. Its first major concept is crucial to helping us become, be, and stay leaders who are truly Others Focused.

Small Group #3 Questions

Please incorporate the questions below into your Small Group Discussion.

1. Over the last two weeks, what has stood out to you the most as you’ve worked to execute your Curious Plan?

2. Are the consistent aspects of your Curious Plan starting to feel at all like newly emerging habits? Yes or no? Why or why not?

3. In the article, the first segment is labeled “Be curious about employees.” Did anything in that section line up with any aspects of your current Curious Plan? If so what, and how does it align?

Additional Content #2

Keegan’s Curious Story

Please watch the video below and hear the story of Keegan, a leader whose Curious actions led to (not) surprising results. (Keegan gave us The Aperio permission to share this audio clip of his story.)

Small Group #2 Questions:

Incorporate the questions below into your Small Group Discussion:

1. What, if anything, about executing your Curious Plan has pleasantly surprised you? Why do you think this is?

2. What, if anything, about executing your Curious plan is proving to be a challenge? Why do you think this is the case?

3. What stood out to you from the video above? What most inspires you about Keegan’s story? Are there any additional connections you can make between being more Curious and engagement?

Additional Content #1

Andy Stanley on the Carey Nieuwhof podcast

The audio clip below is a conversation with Carey Nieuwhof and Andy Stanley on Carey’s podcast. Andy Stanley is the leader of the largest church in America: North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia. While modern-day faith communities don’t typically offer great leadership examples to the business community—unfortunately many faith organizations confuse good teaching with good leadership—Andy and North Point are different. Andy started North Point in 1995 with a steady diet of leadership and organizational development. Today it is reported that over 38,000 people attend North Point churches each week. Andy and North Point Community Church now have significant influence in the Christian faith community, not only in the US but around the world. Andy has 116,000 subscribers to his YouTube Channel and reportedly over 100,000 people subscribing to his monthly leadership podcast (highly recommended regardless of one’s faith background). His leadership principles are worth attention. Though the words are not explicitly used in this audio clip, the idea of curiosity is clearly evident in Andy’s words.

Curiosity + CONFIRMATION BIAS

One of the top barriers to being a Curious Leader is confirmation bias, defined as “the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories.” According to this article, being Curious is a way to combat confirmation bias. You may not be able to get rid of your confirmation bias, but your ability to stay Curious can help break down your biases and allow you to see people—and situations—in new ways.

SMALL GROUP #1 SUGGESTIONS + QUESTIONS:

1. Discuss your Curious Plan. Have you been able to execute on it so far? Can you foresee any obstacles? Discuss ways to overcome these obstacles.

2. What stood out to you from the audio clip of Andy Stanley? What got your attention about the “Confirmation Bias” article?

3. What connections, if any, can you make between the Andy Stanley clip and the concept of Confirmation Bias? What does this suggest for your ability to be a leader who is Curious?