The art of not knowing
Why your best ideas might come from confusion
If you’ve ever spent time with a young child, you know “why” is their favorite word.
Some of us never grow out of that.
All my life, I have been insatiably curious. As I thought about the community I wanted to build, I realized I wanted other curious people to be a part of it.
I want to surround myself with people who love to think – people who see things from multiple angles and are capable of holding two truths at the same time.
I want to meet people who bring ideas to the table, who are always learning and growing and sharing what they know. That’s what makes for a hive mind, one of the most magical parts of a community.
I want to know people who are not just comfortable with uncertainty, they embrace it.
They don’t think there might be more to the story; they know their viewpoint is just one of many angles.
That is how Curiosity earned its place as a community value in The Hive. 🐝
To be uncertain is to be open to possibility. It requires a willingness to be wrong and a confidence that everything can be figured out.
In her book “Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure,” Maggie Jackson calls uncertainty “wisdom in motion” and says it is the pillar of thinking missing from our society.
“It is not uncertainty we should fear but a growing reluctance and perhaps a waning ability to seek nuance, depth and perspective, all fruits of skillfully confronting what we do not know,” Jackson writes.
Curious people have no choice but to confront what we do not know. In fact, we find it thrilling.
It’s a crucial trait for community builders. While our communities stem from our visions, once we open the doors and let people inside, the dynamic changes.
We’re no longer fully in control. We can drive and influence the direction of the community, but our members have minds of their own, and we cannot be certain what they’re going to do.
Being a community founder is a bit like being a parent. You can hold your newborn in your arms and imagine what kind of child they will be. The next thing you know, you have a feisty toddler or opinionated teen and realize you’re not controlling their life – merely guiding it.
Guiding a community is a similarly thrilling and unexpected ride.
A healthy community is never the creation of a single person. It is always built through the combined efforts of founder and members. It requires an openness to experimentation, to change and to things not turning out the way you planned.
If a founder has that openness – that curiosity – I am confident my community and I can help them succeed in their goals.
And now I’m curious about you. What are your community values, and how did you decide on them?
Leave a comment or visit me on LinkedIn and share them!
Stay curious,
🐝 Curious about what else makes The Hive so special? Take a peek.