How to Build Through Curiosity

[00:00:00] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: The struggle is how do I find how I fit into the world and how do I be myself and feel good about that, feel supported, and bring my superpower into the world. It’s really about having that self-knowledge so I can care for myself better, care for my clients better, and be a good advocate for curiosity — regardless of who you are.

[00:01:34] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Today we have an amazing guest. Kate, why don’t you introduce yourself?

[00:01:38] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: I would describe myself first and foremost as professionally curious. I have a PhD in Internet Studies and cultural anthropology. I’m a LEGO Serious Play certified facilitator, a past TEDx Pro speaker and coach, an innovation columnist for the Business News, and I run a company supporting leaders making a difference through training, business coaching, and speaker coaching.

[00:02:48] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: LEGO Serious Play is a methodology developed in the 90s by two business professors with the LEGO Group. It was originally designed for business outcomes, team building, and strategy. It uses LEGO not the usual way, but more about metaphor and story. In 2010, they open-sourced the method, so the community took it and ran with it.

[00:03:25] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: I created Super Connect — optimizing LEGO Serious Play for human connection, psychological safety, and curious conversations. I’m now teaching people globally to use it in all sorts of different contexts. It’s incredibly transformative.

[00:04:20] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Sometimes we become so hard on ourselves we don’t want to look like we’re just exploring without knowing where it’s going. But in reality, the best innovations in the world come from playing around. You’re having fun, exploring, letting your mind wander — and you don’t really know the outcome because it’s new ground.

[00:04:51] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: I like to describe play as “doing curiosity.” There’s a groundswell of research now showing we need play as an important tool for being human. Curiosity and play are deeply connected — one is the verb form of the other.

[00:05:24] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: How would you describe your superpower, Kate?

[00:05:31] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: It’s probably not a surprise — curiosity is my superpower. My flagship keynote is all about curiosity and being fearlessly curious as the antidote to fear for innovation. It’s not so much that I discovered I’m curious. It’s that I’ve started seeing it as a superpower. It’s always been part of who I am.

[00:06:22] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: Two years ago, I discovered I’m neurodivergent — I have ADHD. New research is showing that if you’re neurodivergent, particularly ADHD, you are hyper-curious. In my talk, I say I can’t not be curious no matter what. It’s saved me so many times when I didn’t know the way forward. There are challenges to being neurodivergent, but there are also superpowers that come with it.

[00:08:47] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: The challenge is the world isn’t made for being neurodivergent. The things that are easy are hard, and the things that are hard are easy. I can write a strategy plan or come up with a new product — but folding my laundry and putting away dishes can be the hardest thing.

[00:11:56] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: The LEGO sets that get most used in our house are the boxes of mixed pieces, not the ones with instructions. Once you follow the instructions, the thing is built — and it feels like it has only one purpose. The “three-in-one” sets where my kids could be more creative were always more interesting.

[00:14:02] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: That’s the difference between normal LEGO and LEGO Serious Play. We got into this way where you build the thing and put it on the shelf. The LEGO Group has now realized we need to be more curious and more playful — encouraging people to build, take apart, and do other things. That’s where the juiciness comes from. The experimentation.

[00:16:27] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: It’s all about asking really good questions. One of my favorite questions — you can use it with or without LEGO — is: “If we were to become close, what’s something I should know about you?” That’s a powerful question for getting past “who are you and what do you do?” to what really makes you you.

[00:17:08] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: I love that. Another one I ask my students: “If you’re not in the room, what do you wish people would say about you?” And the tombstone inscription — what do you wish someone would write on the tombstone for you? Your legacy. These questions force you to differentiate. To get curious about who you actually are.

[00:18:55] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: What helped me overcome my own struggles was being curious and playful. Specifically, LEGO Serious Play. It draws a lot of neurodivergent people because it brings everyone together — CEO and intern, technical and non-technical, extrovert and introvert, neurotypical and neurodivergent. Everyone has a level playing field.

[00:20:58] Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie: When I got my diagnosis, one of my friends said, “Congratulations, welcome to the club.” That’s such a much more positive thing than what doctors usually tell you. It was the global community around this powerful method that helped me find my solution. Stay curious.