Cultivate a Discoverer's Mindset
Curiosity, creativity and learning to see the world with fresh eyes!
'I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my ideas ... I am merely extremely inquisitive' Albert Einstein
LEARNER, EXPLORER, PROBLEM SOLVER, THINKER and CREATOR
This is a Discoverer ... someone who gains energy through curiosity and has a zest for life to match it. Someone with creative curiosity, a beginners mindset and 'What if?' on the tip of their tongue. An adventurer who explores, problem solves, thinks and creates to learn. Who is keen to learn; who wants to expand their talents, skills and expertise and who wants to build a toolkit to help them succeed. Every team needs more than one!
One of my favourites is Russell, the 8 year old junior wilderness explorer in the Pixar film UP in 2009 who is missing his 'Assisting the Elderly Badge' and sees Mr Fredericson as the perfect candidate for his help. He, as do many children, embodies the curiosity of the discoverer and he has such a heroes journey adventure in the film! I have to mention , the other character I adore in UP is Kevin, Spoiler Alert - the 13ft female giant tropical bird - just wonderful! I so admire the imaginative minds that create such magical worlds!
Discovery skills unlock possibilities and adventures - real and imaginary ones; and we all need more of those right now. If you have not seen it - this, and all Pixar Animations, including the short films are a great place to start your learning journey to study curiosity, creativity and everything discovery! This is just the beginning and Imagineers provide a fun place to start because it is their job to live in this world 'What if?' possibilities.
Our first discovery question is: 'What 'assisting' badge could you seek to give you a new perspective on your work?'.
Maybe helping others become Discoverers!
THE SHIFT TO THE 21st CENTURY CURIOUS LEARNER
As Sir Ken Robinson explains in his famous TED talk - we often give up on this imaginative world of wonder and our discovery journey as we move into adult mode way too easily; or as he puts it our creativity is educated out of us.
These are core Work^Life Skills and they are becoming even more important. We do not stop learning and inquiring when we leave School or College - we just start another chapter - and this book now lasts a lifetime. Not as sporadic adhoc interventions and grasping at certificates to show our competence, but a lifelong commitment to learning, growth and change. Our discovery skills will make this learning adventure much more meaningful, inspiring and relevant to our lives.
However we want to move away from seeing these skills in the traditional academic 20th century way i.e. logic versus creativity, with the latter as a lower order talent. With these skills active and honed, life is a lot more interesting.
And whilst there is evidence that some of the discovery skills are enhanced genetically through being born with certain talents and traits - most can be developed. So the response 'I am just not creative' is not true - seek out opportunities to continuously build these skills.
SHOWCASE THESE SKILLS TO MAKE YOURSELF MORE EMPLOYABLE
ACTIVE LEARNING & MASTERY - wanting to develop, progress and improve by adopting a growth mindset. As a way of being and seeing in the world, not a constant state. Pursuing learning opportunities, mastering our abilities to learn to learn well, actively building a learning habit we enjoy and seeking feedback. Getting curious on the world we inhabit to inform our thinking and decisions. Building our knowhow, enhancing our expertise and getting wiser so that we are a professional at the top of our game!
21C BUSINESS AND WORK CONTEXT - the world is changing fast with more volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This is about building your commercial intellect by keeping abreast of and getting a helicopter big picture view of these changes and how they impact us including: the big issues facing mankind, the work environment we inhabit, the future of our work and the different ways to work. It is also about building habits that help you notice changes, track trends and spot opportunities.
DISCOVERER MINDSET - Our attitude is everything so we need to cultivate the right one - by staying curious longer, being open minded and optimistic. Taking the time to play, learn and create. Whilst we ponder opportunities and options we also need to balance this against the real world realities and risks. We also have to find our courage, be bold and embrace failure as part of the learning game.
NAVIGATOR AND SENSEMAKER - we inhabit a world in the attention economy overloaded with information, misinformation and a never ending supply of brain food. We need to develop a skillset to find our way to navigate, fact check, curate, sensemake and synthesise the data, information and stories. We need to build our own kit with outlining, story telling and headlining tools - to communicate our ideas with clarity and brevity.
CURIOUS CREATIVE - is the differentiating problem solving and opportunity making in demand business skill. A Discoverer who masters curious questioning with good observation, ideas generation, experimentation and associating skills. Who goes PRO on creativity, learns from others and creates the space for ideas to flourish.
DESIGN-SHIP THINKER - mastering the framework from Stanford d.School - that structures the curious creatives thinking process so that they can SHIP great work that solves real problems. The thinking modes include observing, empathising, ideating, prototyping, experiences, testing, piloting and shipping. We need the mindset and toolkit but we also want to build the right team to make it work.
DISCOVERER FUNDAMENTALS - these are the foundations for our Discoverer role that include being inquisitive; a beta mode learner; seeking to understand, empathise and connect with people; enjoying framing the right problems to solve them; dealing with complexity, failure and ambiguity; being driven, visionary, passionate and resilient; understanding the different roles we can play including the curiosity chef; and beginning with the end in mind to deliver experiences and make magic happen. Plus to keep filling that box of tools!
DISCOVERER PROJECTS - are the projects we build to hone these skills. If we want to change our habits and embed new skills the best way to learn is to pick a development need and create a live learning lab project. Ideas include: Mastering and embracing Design Thinking tools to help us be a better creator ; Taking a strategic look at our TASKED (Talents, Attitude, Skills, Knowhow, Experiences and Deliverables) framework in a rapidly changing world; Expanding our World View and how we co-exist; Generating fresh ideas on an old problem; Becoming a better ideas chef; Building a side hustle or delivering a new POV (Point of View).
THESE ARE THE DIFFERENTIATING WORK SKILLS
Everyone knows creativity skills are highly sought after by employers. LinkedIn has defined 'creativity' as one of the most overused words in job profiles on the site. People put it down because they think they should have this skill even if they are not confident that they do. Business still sees a skills gap in their recruitment for people with them and the World Economic Forum cites 'curiosity and creativity' as global core skills for the next decade.
Why? These are some of the skills employers want you to master to help them and yourself, navigate the next decade. Not only do these skills help us problem solve and generate new ideas – they also help us to learn and adapt to change.
In 2022 we need this 'Discoverer' skillset and mindset to unleash our inner creativity and learning gene. So if you are lacking in confidence and see this as something that only certain people can do - you need to change your thinking and build this future skill stack fast. Coming up with and sharing ideas get you noticed more.
The AI robots have got logic and maths mastered but they are having a tougher time with the humanities. These skills represent our humanity and are our differentiator. To embrace your Discoverer it can help to think about these skills much more broadly around all Gardners 8 Intelligences to see the possibilities:
Linguistic - Writing| Musical - Auditory | Visual - Spatial| Logical - Mathematical | Bodily - Kinesthetic | Interpersonal - Working with others | Intrapersonal - Understanding our self | Naturalist - With nature |
AI enabling and enhancing humans discovery skill stacks is just beginning, and this is going to be a really exciting chapter in our development and the metaverse's. We need to master our Discoverer first and then embrace technology to broaden our talents - so we are driving the bus! Or just even on the bus!
Seizing new ground, making connections between people and ideas, working without a map - these are works of art, and if you do them, you are an artist, regardless of whether you wear a smock, use a computer, or work with others all day long. Seth Godin in Icarus Deception
A Discoverer – is someone who has creative curiosity and a beginners mindset; who is keen to learn; who wants to expand their talents, skills and expertise and who wants to build a toolkit to help them succeed.
The book ‘The Innovators DNA’ by authors Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton M. Christensen set out to explore successful innovators and their skillsets. From their research they focused in on these five skills: Questioning, Observing, Experimenting, Ideas Networking and Associating*. These provide a very practical starting point to build discovery, learning, curiosity and creativity skills. If you master them you will change how you are perceived, the way you work and the results you achieve.
* Associating is the only skill that is significantly enhanced if creativity is an inherent talent. There are lots of tools to help us with this if you need some inspiration. The others are within everyone's grasp and are essential future skills.
YOU NEED THE RIGHT MINDSET TO SET YOURSELF UP TO WIN
We always start with mindset because it is the fuel to start the fire. The mindset of a Discoverer is one where we are grabbing opportunities and solving problems by challenging the status quo, having a beginners 'what if?' outlook and are constantly exploring new possibilities.
For starters find some new ways to 'be' - Change can be good for us - we need to liberate ourselves from previous learned stereotypes, negative thinking and let go of past discouragements. We have to experiment, try out new things, have a growth mindset and embrace that it is OK to be wrong. Get good at seeing everything as an opportunity to learn. If you struggle with this for yourself, start by looking at how you manage and accept other people's mistakes. How can we be more supportive, tolerant, compassionate and kinder to others and ourselves?
Take more bold steps to be more open minded, receptive to new ideas and more accepting of others and their differences. When we meet adversity and challenges – accept it is what it is and persevere with GRIT and hope. It is easy to say these things yet hard to do, but if we are going to adapt in a world in constant flux it is the only attitude to have.
What do learning, creativity and curiosity look like for you right now?';
Who do you need to be to embrace your Discovery role?
Why is it important to you?
and How do you set yourself up to win?
BE A CURIOUS LEARNER
Learning is at the heart of all discovery - reflecting on our experiences, finding our preferred learning style and seeking the best way to learn. Formal education systems rarely teach this well.
Learning how best to learn is a great investment of our time. Eva Keiffenheim’s weekly 'Learn Letter' is an insightful and useful read to reignite our love of learning. She also posts regularly on Medium.
This is about having the right mindset and committing the time and resources to a different way of being. Author, Steven Pressfield describes this hunger for mastery as 'Turning PRO'. Carol Dweck talks of being open to opportunities and cultivating a 'Growth Mindset'. Some businesses are great at supporting employees learning journey’s - others are not. It does not matter - it is our journey and our investment.
Be strategic in identifying, investing in and stacking new skills. Know your sector and what you want to ideally do next. Find great projects that enhance your expertise as the your starting point for progression not going on courses.
It is vital to actively pursue learning opportunities that stretch us in our work. Constantly seek projects that test you, learning adventures, opportunities to grow, ways to enhance your skills and finding new skills that will differentiate you. It is not an annual conversation with the boss - it is a way of working.
It is more valuable to learn in an environment where we can practice and master the skills in our working day. Then read up and take programs to drill down into specific's, that set us apart from others, in your own time.
Remember - everyone is a work in progress. Permanent 'beta mode' means a lifelong commitment to continuous personal growth and constantly questioning ourselves. It doesn’t matter whether we are a recent graduate, an established professional, or a reinventing ourselves mid-career. Great people, like great companies, are always evolving. We are never finished and never fully developed.
So getting good at learning is a wise investment and our curiosity is your fuel for this! And we know what curiosity looks and feels like from the description above. Practice living in that state every day.
Each day presents an opportunity to be curious, learn more, do more, grow more. It is the mindset of every entrepreneurial discoverer in life.
Curious Learner Ideas:
Keep a learning journal to track what, where and how you learn.
Keep an ideas journal to note down observations, questions, opportunities and thoughts.
Keep a life journal to reflect on your thoughts, reading, ideas, learning, experiences and life events.
Be curious, use your imagination and go on some adventures!
LEARN FROM GREAT CREATORS AND TUTORS
There are some great expert creative Discoverers to learn from like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and a world of TED talkers! There are also some brilliant Authors/ Teachers in these spaces like Adam Grant, Michael Gelb, Mihaly Csikzentmihaly, Seth Godin, Tom Peters, David and Tom Kelley, Twyla Tharp, Robert Fritz and Jim Kwik .
Plus there is a world of compelling autobiographies to discover - which often provide a wealth of brain food adventurers, as everyone who tells their own story leads a Discoverers life.
Brain Food : My advice would be start with 'How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci' by Michael Gelb; 'Creative Confidence' by David and Tom Kelley; 'Mindset' by Carol S Dweck and get yourself a 'Creative Whack Pack'. And anything by Seth Godin including his daily blog.
Plus check out Elizabeth Gilbert and Sir Ken Robinsons TED talks on creativity, the autobiography of someone you admire to listen to on Audible and a couple of podcasters who inspire you. Just a few for starters - be selective and include something that you would not normally consider - you want lots of new normal!.
The Discoverers New Guide from d.School
My latest find is a MUST HAVE - the perfect 2022 Discoverers Manual - 'Creative Acts for Curious People - how to think, create and lead in unconventional ways' by Sarah Stein Greenberg from Stanford d.School. These are the people that gave us design thinking. This is a wonderful colourful playbook and toolkit.
More a dip into than read book - it is a brilliant resource to build those discovery skills. If you are not into reading - Sarah did a great interview with Chase Jarvis on his Live Show. You can find the hour long interview below.
The original Design Thinking Toolkit from Stanford d.School
OUR MONTHLY EXPLORATION
This is a Live Lab experiment and the structure will evolve over time. We will start with an overview on the topic and then the next edition will be shorter, more focused on specific skill sets and give plenty of signposts to useful resources.
The next Discoverer edition will be out on 10th July and will specifically cover the 21st Century Business and Work Context. We need to understand the world we are working within to find opportunities, solve problems and make sense of our experiences.
I hope this smorgasbord (buffet) of ideas and thoughts in this edition inspires you to take onboard your DISCOVERER role and find the energy to brings it alive. Just finding one idea to take forward might be the beginning of a new adventure for you. Have fun!