Harnessing Curiosity: Crucial for Church Staff Hiring and Culture
In the process of hiring for your church staff, have you ever considered the power of curiosity over competency? This thought might stimulate an entirely new perspective on your hiring strategy. More than just a new hire's competency or their impressive seminary degree, curiosity might be an underrated asset to boost your team's efficiency and health. In truth, a curious team member could unlock innovation rhythms, fostering a healthier culture from the inside out.
Curiosity Versus Competency
Exploring the power of curiosity brings along some surprising hues of culture transformation to the forefront. Traditionally, as church staff, we tend to emphasize competency over curiosity, asking potential hires about their ability to build and run teams, manage apps like ProPresenter, or handling a room full of middle-schoolers.
However, hiring for curiosity could shift your entire staff culture. Curious individuals tend to ask questions that stimulate growth: Why do we do things this way? What aren't we seeing? How can we better serve our community? The presence of these unique and essential questions marks the starting ground for growth and innovation.
Fueling Innovation with Curiosity
Curiosity breeds a reluctance to settle for the status quo and an ever-growing desire to delve deeper. In a rapidly changing church landscape, you need not maintainers but explorers—curious staff ready to push your church to experiment in Spirit-led, healthy ways. Although skills can be trained, curiosity cannot—it's embedded in a person's DNA and mindset.
Advancing Culture by Hiring the Curious
Cultivating a culture doesn't solely depend on fun staff retreats, but it relies on individuals who stay open and curious. Curious people lean towards other perspectives, keep learning, and maintain emotional health. Asking questions such as "What's something that you've changed your mind about in ministry lately?" or "When was the last time you tried something new and failed?" during interviews can reveal the learners and the curious ones among potential hires.
The most dangerous staff member can often be the one who's stopped asking questions. So while competency indeed matters, curiosity multiplies. Curiosity leads to faster growth, building better teams, and expanding your church's potential.
Embark on a curious journey by listening to more on this topic in today's Healthy Church Staff Podcast episode. By evaluating what genuinely matters and employing curiosity as a guiding principle in hiring, you can unlock a new level of potential for your church staff.
