Be Curious, but Not Judgmental?  ## Metadata - Author: [[Marc Benzakein]] - Full Title: Be Curious, but Not Judgmental? - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: [#opensource, #leadership, #wordpress] Author: Marc Benzakein Source: Website Article Reference: [Link](https://marcbenzakein.com/be-curious-not-judgmental) date created: {{date:2024-10-02}} {{time:16:45}} --- # Title: Be Curious, Not Judgmental ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: Include a list of sources consulted and cited in the article. ## 📝 Summary: The article "Be Curious, Not Judgmental" by Marc Benzakein emphasizes the importance of approaching conflicts and differing viewpoints with an attitude of curiosity rather than judgment. Benzakein encourages open-mindedness, especially in the context of leadership and community engagement, advocating for empathetic listening to foster better relationships within open-source communities. ## 📖 Main Content: The core argument of the article revolves around the idea that judgment often blocks understanding and hinders growth, especially in collaborative environments like open source. Benzakein suggests that leaders should model curiosity, listening actively without preconceptions, and ask questions to understand others' perspectives better. This approach builds trust and creates opportunities for constructive conversations, even during disagreements. The article draws parallels between curiosity and effective leadership, highlighting that leaders who ask questions instead of making assumptions often lead more cohesive teams. In an open-source community, where contributions come from diverse individuals with unique perspectives, such an attitude can help prevent misunderstandings and conflict. ### 🗒️ Notes - **Curiosity Over Judgment**: - Curiosity fosters understanding, while judgment often blocks growth. - Leaders should practice empathetic listening to understand different perspectives. - **Empathetic Leadership**: - Asking questions instead of making assumptions helps build trust. - Open-minded leaders create a more collaborative and welcoming environment. - **Open Source Community Impact**: - In open-source projects, approaching conflicts with curiosity can improve collaboration. - Listening actively encourages diverse contributors to share their ideas without fear of criticism. ## 📖 References: - Benzakein, Marc. "Be Curious, Not Judgmental." [Link](https://marcbenzakein.com/be-curious-not-judgmental). ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. Benzakein argues that curiosity leads to growth by allowing us to understand other perspectives deeply, whereas judgment only serves to create barriers between people, preventing meaningful progress. 2. In the context of leadership, Benzakein emphasizes that asking questions rather than making assumptions helps leaders to build trust and foster a welcoming atmosphere where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and contributions. ## 📰 Newsletter: 🌱 **Be Curious, Not Judgmental** 🧐 In our fast-paced world of open-source development, it's easy to fall into the trap of judgment. This week, Marc Benzakein shared a powerful reminder to stay curious instead of judgmental. He emphasizes how curiosity, not judgment, is the key to better collaboration in open-source projects. Leaders who listen, ask questions, and avoid making assumptions foster environments where everyone feels valued and heard. Let's commit to curiosity — it builds stronger teams and a more inclusive WordPress community. Check out Marc's insightful piece here: [Be Curious, Not Judgmental](https://marcbenzakein.com/be-curious-not-judgmental). ## ✅ Action Items: - **Open Source Advocacy**: Promote the concept of empathetic listening within the WordPress community. - **Contributor Engagement**: Organize discussions about how curiosity can strengthen relationships among contributors. - **Community Building**: Use this article as a case study to highlight the importance of curiosity in leadership roles, especially in open-source projects. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - **H1**: Leaders who practice curiosity over judgment will have more cohesive and high-performing teams. - **H2**: Fostering a culture of curiosity in open-source communities will lead to increased contributor satisfaction and retention. - **H3**: Encouraging questions and active listening in community discussions will reduce conflicts and misunderstandings. ### 📊 Methodology: - **Interviews**: Conduct interviews with leaders of open-source projects to assess the impact of curiosity-driven approaches. - **Community Surveys**: Survey contributors about their experiences in communities with curious versus judgmental leadership. - **Case Studies**: Compare the outcomes of open-source projects with differing leadership styles to evaluate collaboration and contributor retention. ### ❓ Questions: - How can open-source communities foster an environment where curiosity is encouraged? - What are practical strategies for leaders to model curiosity instead of judgment? - How does judgment impact contributor motivation in open-source projects? ### 🔮 Future Research: - Investigate how different leadership approaches affect contributor retention and engagement in open-source communities. - Explore methods for training leaders in curiosity-driven management techniques. - Study the long-term effects of curiosity-based leadership on community health and innovation. ### 💡 Implications: - By adopting curiosity as a core value, open-source communities can create safer, more inclusive environments. - Curiosity-driven leadership can improve collaboration and reduce conflicts, leading to better project outcomes and innovation. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: 1. **Visual Learners (Spatial)**: - **Present**: Lacks visual aids. - **Improve**: Add infographics or flowcharts depicting the benefits of curiosity over judgment. 2. **Aural Learners (Auditory-Musical)**: - **Improve**: Include an audio version of the article for enhanced engagement. 3. **Verbal Learners (Linguistic)**: - **Present**: Rich descriptions and examples are present. - **Improve**: Use more analogies to deepen understanding. 4. **Physical Learners (Kinesthetic)**: - **Improve**: Suggest practical exercises like role-playing scenarios to practice empathetic listening. 5. **Logical Learners (Mathematical)**: - **Improve**: Provide a step-by-step framework for applying curiosity in leadership situations. 6. **Social Learners (Interpersonal)**: - **Present**: Discusses leadership dynamics, which are social. - **Improve**: Add prompts for group discussions on implementing curiosity-based practices. 7. **Solitary Learners (Intrapersonal)**: - **Present**: Encourages self-reflection. - **Improve**: Include journaling prompts to encourage deeper personal insight. 8. **Naturalistic Learners**: - **Improve**: Use nature-based analogies to explain curiosity, such as comparing it to exploration in nature. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment: - **Screen Reader Compatibility**: Needs proper semantic HTML for better screen reader use. - **Keyboard Navigation**: Ensure all elements are accessible via keyboard. - **Contrast and Readability**: Improve text contrast for better visibility. - **Text Resizing**: Ensure the layout remains responsive when text size is increased. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment: - **Cultural Relevance**: Lacks diverse cultural examples. - **Improve**: Introduce examples from different cultural backgrounds to enhance relatability. - **Inclusive Language**: Uses inclusive language. - **Improve**: Avoid complex jargon that may alienate readers. - **Neurodiversity Support - Document Tags: [[Matt Mullenweg]] [[open source corporate contribution]] [[wpdrama]] [[wp engine]] - Summary: “I was driving a few months back, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman. It was painted on the wall there. It said, ‘Be... - URL: https://marcbenzakein.com/be-curious-not-judgmental *“I was driving a few months back, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman. It was painted on the wall there. It said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ **I like that.” -Ted Lasso*** The truth is, I like it, too. This may have been my favorite scene in a show with a lot of favorite scenes. \*I looked up the quote and apparently Walt Whitman never said this, but I still like it. I like it because it’s how I have always tried to live my life. I’d never verbalized it, but I have always strived to get more information; to focus on the information; to make my choices based on the information. And you will only want information if you’re curious. ***But at some point, you have to make a judgment.*** The last two weeks have seen a lot of upheaval in the WordPress world. I’m not going to make this a big long blog post about what happened. It’s been well documented in about 100 places now by people far smarter than I. If you want to read up on that, just google “Matt Mullenweg WCUS 2024” or, you could probably simply just search his name to get caught up. It’s so big that it’s crept outside the world of WordPress, being picked up by major online publications everywhere. Other than a [podcast appearance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafe4-Z3dwg&list=PLiMfUNUH4aIZ8SlJIadD1uh89d9wu4wXB&index=26&t=851s), and a few tweets (some snarky, some not so much), I’ve largely tried to sit back and remain objective on the situation; **remain curious.** Seemingly every day since WordCamp US, things escalated. First it was chatter. People falling on both sides of the issue, but all were in agreement that Matt showed poor form by calling out WP Engine during his closing remarks/Q&A.  Then it was the Cease and Desist Letters. First WP Engine sent one and then Automattic responded. Things were getting heated. In it, WP Engine alleged (with screen captures) that Matt had tried to extort them. I read them both, noted that one was well written and professional while the other one seemed far less so.  ***And yet, I remained curious.*** Then, WP Engine lost access to the WordPress.org Repository, and Matt, tone-deaf to the fact that it would be WP Engine’s customers and longstanding members and supporters of the WordPress Community at large would be most affected; not WP Engine. Then it was his [interview with Theo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJgahHjAKU), a non-WordPresser who has made a name for himself in other tech arenas. I wish I was half as smart as Theo, who did not let Matt off the hook. To Matt’s credit, there were no questions off the table. Not so much to his credit, I don’t think he came out smelling as sweet as he thinks he did (also, look for the real-life cat/supervillain moment. You’ll laugh, I promise). This interview was when *I became less curious*. And this moment was when it happened. In that one moment, Matt showed how out of touch he really is with the community he has built over the past 20+ years. The fact that Theo was trying to get Matt to show SOME modicum of compassion toward the numerous WordPress users, you know, the ones that help make up 43% of the open web; the ones who have spent the past week+ trying to decide if they should stick with the platform, the community, the ecosystem; the ones who struggle enough to feed their families when things are going well… Ya those folks (which is really, most of us); when Theo gave him the opportunity to show some amount of empathy, he made not only an insensitive joke, but did not even notice that he was the only one laughing. It wasn’t funny, Matt. None of this is funny. Not even close. Sorry Matt. Sorry Ted. In this case, the time has come. **I’m no longer curious.**, Be Curious, but Not Judgmental?, Marc Benzakein, 01j98d9xhhrcgxstwm8a9z74sv.