Staying Curious Makes You A Human, Not Just A Resource

Episode Transcript

Sari: [00:00:00] Got skills? Of course you do. But can you talk about the skills you have and how you use them? Whether it’s with your cousin, your potential new boss, or the mentor who has 20 plus years in your dream role, skills talk is hard. But it doesn’t have to be.

Michelle: As a spin-off to the Let’s Talk About Skills, Baby podcast, each week on Got Skill? The Skills Baby team is taking a deep dive into a key takeaway from an episode of the podcast, focused on actionable ways for professionals to scale up.

Sari: I’m your host Sari Weinerman, and with me is Michelle Smith. We’re here to help you breeze through the next family reunion interview or mentorship opportunity by better understanding the skills you have and how to talk about them.

Michelle: This week, we’re diving into Season 2 Episode 15 of Let’s Talk About Skills Baby. In this episode Kelly speaks with Jay Latta, CEO at Stint, about what happens when we stop looking at humans as resources and start looking at them as assets. Jay believes our main human need is to stay curious, and that eliminating competition is the key to moving past a scarcity mindset.

Sari: During the episode, Jay talks about the relatively recent shift in the level of flexibility we can achieve with our careers. It used to be that you would train for one very specific job, with very specific skills. Like being on an assembly line, you existed just to see your part through, in service of the larger system. We were conditioned to focus purely on raising efficiency and mastering one role. Now however, with higher levels of education, and the advent of technology, we are stepping into new roles on a much more regular basis because we constantly require new jobs to support new metaphoric assembly lines. Jay points out that this current flexibility however, is not just to keep up with changing technology, but to satisfy our innate human needs. Jay says;

Jay: Now with more flexibility, the people started to realize, Hey. I don’t need the assembly line. The assembly line needs me. And the younger these generations become, the more they are curious about possibilities, about opportunities. They don’t go into a job to stay in a corporate for the next 35, 40 years. No, maybe after one and a half, two years, they simply go somewhere else because they are curious. And here it’s really to break out of this linear thinking out of this “you need your career to marry, have children, build a house,” whatever all of this is nonsense. It does not serve our main human need, which is to stay curious. To be creative.

Michelle: Staying curious and creative… This really puts into perspective the idea of living to work, rather than working to live. Many of us grow up hearing what our parents or caretakers want for us, which sometimes translates to what path they think is safest, or most stable for us. This can sound like ‘It’s so risky to start your own business, why not take the analyst job?’ or ‘Actors can’t make real livings, go into marketing.’ I’m not saying to dive head first into your passions without some kind of plan, but I do agree with Jay. Whether our internal voice is very loud or just a whisper – if we don’t listen to our own desires and stay curious about what we may find fulfilling, we’ll found ourselves treated as a dispensable resource, and not an indispensable asset.

Sari: Exactly! Jay points out that by calling HR departments Human Resources, we are reducing people down to their productivity, rather than putting their emotions and wellbeing in the forefront. This is precisely why Jay believes that staying curious is so important, because it keeps our emotions and wellbeing top of mind as we seek to satisfy our own curiosities.

Michelle: That really is such a powerful way to think about it. The more we allow ourselves to explore the world around us, and actively seek to learn new and different things, not only will we be more fulfilled, but we will become a more knowledgeable, accomplished, and empathetic society.

Sari: Yes! It would be a shame if we all sought after a limited level of general education or exploration just so we can master one job and do it for the rest of time. Not only would that be incredibly boring, but it would be incredibly hindering. We would never advance our medicine, our policies, our procedures, or anything for that matter if we put a cap on learning and growing.

Michelle: This is precisely why we at Skills Baby are so passionate about transforming our education systems to skills-based models. We need to educate ourselves and our future generations to have flexible use of our skills, so they can constantly change and grow as time goes by. The more we stay curious, the more we will pursue new forms of learning, hone new skills, and move ourselves and our systems forward.

Sari: So how do you do this? How do you find time to stay curious and keep learning while also pursuing a career in the present. It seems overwhelming to both be fitting into the system as it currently stands but also working to change it.

Michelle: I completely agree and personally identify with that feeling of overwhelm, but Jay offers a relatively simple solution… Reading. He says reading is the key to staying curious. Let’s hear it in his own words;

Jay: Sitting in front of the TV after a stressful day, this just numbing yourself. So instead start reading. This really starts to fire your own imagination. When you just consume things, this is already the imagination from someone else. It’s an interpretation of whatever. We need to develop or get back our curiosity. There is nothing wrong. There are no wrong questions. There are no wrong answers. It’s about discovering. It’s about getting curious and listening on to what makes me happy…And even if it’s just talking about the last book you’ve been reading, you will discover new facets on life. And you will discover new opportunities.

Michelle: Wow, I love this so much. Reading is such an important way for us to continue learning on our own terms… and with such a low barrier to entry. To peak our curiosity, to open our minds, and most importantly to envision a world that is human centric, we can do something so simple. Read.

Sari: Yes. Human centric thinking places more value on our needs than our labor. It values curiosity over productivity. This is definitely how I want to feel both in my personal and professional life. What a difference it makes showing up to work every day, knowing that while I work towards the goals of the company that employs me, I am also allowed and even encouraged to develop and work towards my own goals simultaneously.

Michelle: So well said. This is also why I so passionately believe in the importance of being able to tell your entire Skills Story to any potential employer. That story is comprised of all the things that make you, you! It is way more than the tasks you were asked to complete on a job. It is story of how your curiosities have manifested into specific skills that will help you continue learning, and growing throughout your life.

Sari: Thanks for joining us on this episode of Got Skills. The podcast where we explore how to understand the skills you’ve got, and more importantly, how to talk about them. Got Skills is a Growth Network Podcasts production. “To learn more about the hosts of Got Skills head to skillsbaby.com/gotskills. Find out what we’re up to, the latest news in the skills world, and what events are coming up that you should keep an eye on! Last but not least, make sure to follow Growth Network Podcasts on LinkedIn for more awesome shows to add to your podcast feed. We’ll see you next time on Got Skills.”