Imagine Magazine: Brighter Futures Preview

Brighter Futures

A Note from the CEO

As we look toward the future of work, uncertainty is a constant, but as L&D professionals, we hold the power to shape it. Our work today is laying the foundation for tomorrow’s success, and in this edition of strategies that will drive us forward.

Discover how to stay ahead of evolving early career development in “Building the Future Workforce” (p. 28), shift toward a more dynamic career path in “Career GPS” (p. 22), and unlock growth through curiosity in “The Curious Case of Organisational Curiosity” (p. 04).

While the future is constantly shifting, it’s full of opportunity. The landscape of work is evolving, and as L&D professionals, we are the architects of this transformation.

The future is bright — and it’s ours to create.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from the achieve total accuracy, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions within this magazine.

To work with us please contact: info@cegos.uk or call +44 (0) 2033185753 cegos.uk

Enjoy the read,

Jonna Sercombe

CEO Cegos

UK & US

The Curious Case of Organisational Curiosity

Curious about curiosity? opens up the case to explore what role curiosity could play in the workplace and how to grow the curiosity muscle.

A man walks into a bar and asks for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun, points it at the man, the

The answer’s at the end of this article.

If you’re still reading, then top marks for curiosity. You’re interested in the answer but rather than being tempted to jump straight through it, you’re probably trying to work it out for yourself. There are some good

something out releases dopamine, which we love.1 Not only that, when we get curious and our hungry mind than when we are fed the information.

So, with this in mind, I was a little troubled. In the world of learning and development, we hear the word “curiosity” a lot. It’s certainly a great thing to be, but

it’s more of a mindset or trait, and that takes us into deep waters when working on it. However, there are skills, both cognitive and behavioural, that enable and enhance curiosity, and as with all skills, we can build them.

Cognitive Skills Behavioural Skills

• Critical Thinking: helps individuals ask deeper, more meaningful questions and evaluate information objectively.

• Analytical thinking: beyond surface-level understanding.

• Problem-solving : turns curiosity into practical solutions by investigating new possibilities.

• Open-mindedness: The ability to entertain

So, now that we know what skills drive curiosity, we can get to working on muscle-building.

Developing A Curiosity Skillset

Practice asking questions: use frameworks like the “5 Whys” or Socratic questioning to deepen thinking.

• interdisciplinary conversations.

• Embrace uncertainty: treat not knowing as an opportunity, not a weakness.

• Challenge assumptions: regularly question our own beliefs and perspectives. Seek feedback and diverse perspectives: engage

We’ve nailed the skillset of underlying curiosity in our organisation into a curiosity gym.

Make It A Safe Place to Train

Curiosity thrives in environments where employees feel without negative consequences. If looking for help on this, Amy Edmondson’s work is a great place to start. Some key steps we can take:

Encourage leaders to model curiosity by asking questions and challenging assumptions in public.

• Create a “no wrong questions” culture to reward curiosity in meetings and brainstorming sessions.

• Make learning from failure “what we do around here” by conducting “lessons learned” reviews instead of just post-mortems.

employees can teach senior leaders new perspectives.

• Active listening: encourages deeper inquiry and understanding by truly engaging with what others say.

• Questioning techniques: knowing how to ask the right questions fosters more productive curiosity.

• Adaptability & resilience: being comfortable with

• Self-directed learning: the ability to independently seek and process new information.

Create Opportunities that Make Experimentation and Learning Day-to-Day Habits

Create development programmes on the core skills. Change people’s perspectives through crossfunctional collaboration and job shadowing.

• Have dedicated time for employees to learn outside of their core job function… “curiosity time”.

• Encourage stretch assignments that let employees take on projects outside their usual roles.

Ring the Bell. Recognise and Celebrate Curiosity

• new solutions, or introduce innovations.

• or mentoring others.

Formalise it with curiosity KPIs like learning engagement, innovative ideas delivered, and cross-functional collaboration.

Just a few thoughts and suggestions and no doubt curious people are already questioning, creating, and challenging. Jump into the rabbit hole and let me know what’s in there.

Oh, and returning to the man in the bar… He had hiccups, and the barman frightened him as a cure. Maybe you

matter, your curiosity muscle is slightly stronger and