Alice by JackieLeighHow is Lewis Carroll's Alice like a project manager?



At the PMI Global Congress EMEA earlier this year in Dublin Guisi Meloni gave a presentation that showed us how.



When we work on projects or with new people, we receive information that we weren't aware of before. We can take that new information and fit it in to knowledge frameworks that we already have, or we can take it and question it. Meloni said that what we do with new information depends on our culture, how we have been educated and what we have been exposed to.



She explained that curiosity is a great tool for project managers. It helps us understand our stakeholders better. It helps us come up with innovative solutions. And as projects as largely non-repetitive, curiosity helps us adapt what we already know to new situations.



Meloni said that you can practice curiosity and learn to get  better at being curious even if you don't feel it comes naturally. She suggested practicing exploring ideas and rewarding yourself for discovering new things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is a curious project manager like?

 


"The one mark of curious people is asking questions," Meloni said. A curious project manager:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





     
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  • Prefers novelty and variety




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  • Sustains and enjoys uncertainty for longer




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  • Finds that exploring ideas and information comes easily




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  • Manages outside their comfort zone and remains open to new experiences even when familiar ideas are being challenged




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  • Looks for novelty outside and is internally introspective




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Two types of potential

 


Meloni explained that everyone has two types of potential: coping potential and curiosity potential. Coping potential reflects how well you are able to adapt to new things. At the highest end, you can take on board and work with the new ideas or environments that come your way. At the lowest end, you don't care for anything new.







People with high curiosity potential want to constantly learn new things. Low curiosity potential people are not interested in learning or exploring alternative ideas. High curiosity potential is a good attribute for a project manager as it helps us uncover new concepts, constantly improve and take an interest in new assignments and the stakeholders we work with.



Meloni explained that we have to balance both potentials. "If both are low you don't care and you don't want to know," she said. "Curiosity feeds our growing."

 

 

 

 

 

You can learn to be more curious...

 


Your curiosity potential is not fixed: you can lean to be more curious. Be mindful, Meloni advised, and be your own observer. Start to think as if you were a third person looking in.



"When you are in control of yourself and the sense that you are mindful of yourself and your situation, people will feel your presence and react accordingly," she said. She also gave some further tips for building and practising curiosity:

 

 

 

 

 





     
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  • Withhold judgement




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  • Ask lots of questions




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  • Avoid easy labels.  These close options and they stick




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  • Discover other people's points of view and negotiate common meaning




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  • Share stories; continue a dialogue enriched with your own understanding




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...but curiosity isn't always a good thing

 


"Not everything about curiosity is positive," said Meloni. "When you must do something, the impossibility of stopping yourself can be very dangerous. We must recognise when we need to stop and keep our curiosity a healthy habit and not something that controls us."



How do you use curiosity on your projects? Let us know in the comments.