“Be curious, not judgemental” Part I

cat-curious

Managing a dental practice, like any business, is about finding solutions. Solutions to patients’ oral problems, solutions to the barriers that staff come up against when performing throughout the day and solutions that will lead the practice to business viability and success.

What I found very early on was that I was sabotaging my own success when problem-solving.I was allowing this natural human reaction to play out and it was not helping me. I was being judgemental.

Whether it be reacting to a staff member whose performance was waning, or a patient who constantly arrived late to their appointments, my response of attaching a judgement on those behaviours not only stopped me from discovering what the true issue was, but also limited my ability to find a solution.

Becoming judgemental is a common go-to mindset when we feel threatened, offended, disappointed or angry. People are not doing what we want them to do, so they must be wrong in some way.

Once you place a judgement on a person or situation, you label it. You make it so. It is now a belief. You then are seeking a solution to your self-generated belief, rather than the actual situation that presented itself.

“Be curious, not judgemental”

Walt Whitman

A more helpful reaction is to become curious. “That’s interesting. I wonder how that came about.”

Curiosity keeps you in the mindset of discovery and creative thought. Where a mindset of judgement restricts our thinking, curiosity is expands it. To hope to exercise your influence over human interactions and behaviours, you need to develop an intrigue and understanding around people and their behaviours.

Restricting your judgement will expand your ability and influence in all situations. It is your curiosity that leads you to all solutions.

(I have designed a 4 Step Process to get out of the judgement mindset. I will share these with you in Monday’s blog, so stay tuned.)