S3E1. “Mindful Curiosity” with Glen Kreiner

Welcome back to a third season of the Eccles Business Buzz
podcast! 


This season, join host Frances Johnson as she explores the topic
of continuous curiosity, asking: What is curiosity? Why is it
important? And what roadblocks prevent us from being curious in
our work, homes and communities? Throughout this season, we’ll
also hear from guests who have used curiosity to pursue something
new – a degree, a profession, or a passion.


In this episode, Frances chats with Glen Kreiner, Chair of the
Department of Management at the David Eccles School of Business.
Glen is also the L.S. Skaggs Presidential Chair in Business
Ethics Management. His award-winning research focuses on our
identities at work, mindfulness, work/life dynamics, and
ethics. 


Glen talks about the relationship between mindfulness and
curiosity, and how we can all work to develop what he calls a
“beginner's mind.”
Episode Quotes:

On practicing mindfulness


Glen (4:14) - “One of the things we talked about in a paper we
had published recently is the idea of mindfulness capacity.
That's something that can be built, kind of like putting water
into a reservoir. If the reservoir is dry, you don't have any
water left. So we try to think about how we build a mindfulness
capacity so that in those stressful moments, we can call upon our
mindfulness skills. If we want to be creative or curious or think
about ourselves or our relationships, we can draw upon those mind
practices.”


On the benefits of a beginner’s mind


Glen (16:19) “In the eyes of a beginner, there’s lots of
possibilities. But iIf you think you're an expert, there aren't
many possibilities. You think you've already figured it out. So
that beginner's mind is a really wonderful tool for curiosity and
creativity, because it helps you throw assumptions out the
window.”


On using mindfulness to understand our identities and the
perceptions of others


Glen (29:09) “My perception of myself is not the same as these
people's perception of me, or maybe they're seeing something that
I can cultivate so that I can feel that way about myself. /
(25:47) Whether the label came from me or someone else, what does
that word mean? Do I want it, or do I not want it? Do I want to
change the meaning of it? Cause maybe I keep the word. Change the
meaning of it. And that's what mindfulness and curiosity can
allow us to do with these identity labels that either we or
others put on ourselves.”
Show Links:

Glen Kreiner’s bio