Curiosity Builds Culture

Ron Krit, President, Krit Consulting

🧠 Open Minds Change the World

In an age of instant opinions and constant noise, it’s easy to forget the power of two simple things: listening and keeping an open mind.

But these aren’t just nice leadership traits or feel-good soft skills—they’re essential tools for saving lives, unlocking innovation, and building a better world.

And history proves it.

Ignaz Semmelweis: Handwashing Hero

In the mid-1800s, Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis noticed a horrifying pattern: women giving birth in the doctor-run maternity ward were dying at a far higher rate than those in the midwife-run ward.

He listened. He asked questions.And he saw what others didn’t.

Semmelweis realized that doctors were performing autopsies, then delivering babies—without washing their hands. (Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds.) He hypothesized that they were transferring invisible "particles" from cadavers to their patients. His solution? Mandatory handwashing with a chlorinated lime solution.

The result? Mortality rates plummeted.The response? His colleagues laughed him out of the room.

The doctors refused to believe they might be the problem. Despite the results, Semmelweis was pushed aside, committed to an asylum, and died before his work was validated.

Decades later, his insight laid the foundation for germ theory and the global medical standard of hand hygiene. Today, Semmelweis University in Budapest bears his name—proof that listening can lead to revolution. And fewer funerals.

Galileo Galilei: A Telescope into Truth

Let’s rewind a bit further to the 1600s. Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer and all-around science icon, turned his telescope to the sky and saw something radical:

• Jupiter had moons.

• Venus had phases.

• And Earth? Not the center of the universe. (Cue collective gasp.)

  
  

Galileo backed the idea that the Earth revolves around the sun. For this act of cosmic blasphemy, he was labeled a heretic, placed under house arrest, and banned from publishing his findings.

But Galileo kept listening—to data, nature, and of course, the stars.

Today, he’s remembered as the father of modern science, a pioneer who reshaped how we see the universe—because he wasn’t afraid to ask, “What if we’re wrong?”

💡 Learn from the Greats

Every big shift starts with someone who notices what others missed. Someone who asks uncomfortable questions. Someone who listens when it matters most.

Take a page from their playbooks:

1.       Ask more questions

2.       Treat listening as a superpower

3.       Challenge assumptions

4.       Keep an open mind

5.       Invite disagreement, and learn from it

When we follow these guidelines, we create an environment of growth, innovation, and creativity.

Want to boost your culture? Let’s talk. I lead webinars and coach teams and leaders on developing their superpowers.