As we climb the organisational ladders and reach the upper levels of management, it is inevitable that many of us are called upon to become mentors to the up-and-coming young managers and assist in their development. I was asking myself the other day, what is or should be, one of the most precious gifts that we could give to such a person once he or she has been identified as having the potential to climb the organisational ladder? Where should we place the most emphasis?

I believe that one of the greatest things we can or should do is to encourage our protégés to adopt the attitude that the Zen people call “the Don’t-know Mind” or “the Beginner’s Mind”. It is the mind that isn’t limited by ideas and preconceptions – but remains open to all possibilities. It is the mind that isn’t afraid to say “I don’t know” – and is willing to go and explore in full all the unchartered waters that lay ahead. It is the mind that realizes that asking questions is more important than finding answers – as today’s answers may not be relevant tomorrow.

This “don’t-know mind” can bring about two extraordinary benefits: creativity and learning. If you were to read the biographies of the great thinkers, you would indeed soon come to an obvious conclusion: most, if not all, the great works and discoveries in science, art and music came about when the person concerned could let go of his or her preconceptions. Newton could formulate his theory of gravity and Einstein that of relativity, only after they’d both abandoned the well-trodden paths of deductive thinking and became creative. Similarly, the culture of learning that our companies on this island need so desperately, can only flourish once we are able to drop our know-it-all attitudes and start asking questions. Professor Marquardt, the guru of action learning who visited our shores some four years ago, is fond of stating: “At the heart of any learning is the process of reflection – the capacity to ask fresh questions whenever we don’t know, are worried or are confused. And without reflection, we cannot adapt to change.”

But we don’t need gurus to perceive the instant truth of not-knowing. Surely, like me, you must have said to yourself at one time or another, “I need to sleep over this problem” – only to wake up, generally the next morning, with a ready-made solution. Psychologists will tell you that rather than “force” a solution, what you did was to let your subconscious mind work on it. Jiddu Krishnamurti says it beautifully when he asks, “What is the state of the mind that says ‘I don’t know’?” He goes on: “The state of the mind that is capable of saying ‘I don’t know’ is the only state in which anything can be discovered. Only then is there a possibility of fundamental change, of a tremendous revolution.”

Why then, if the benefits that not-knowing brings about are so obvious, do we, as mentors, so seldom practise it with those we are called upon to mentor? I can think of two major reasons:

■ The only way we know. We got to our positions as executives by learning certain things over the years. We assume, erroneously, that if these things have worked for us before, they should work again today – and should therefore be taught to all up-and-coming managers. We forget that in reality, this may no longer be the case – circumstances change all the time.

■ We are afraid. When faced with a problem, we are afraid of being perceived as incompetent, of not being on top of it all, of not having all the answers. It is this fear that makes us come across as so sure of ourselves and so decisive in our actions.

So what’s the next step? Let us refrain from the urge to teach our protégés those lessons that we have learnt in life and believe to be “vital”. Let us instead bear in mind Suzuki Roshi’s warning in his prologue to Zen Mind - Beginner’s Mind: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s there are few.” Let us, in a more subdued and humble manner, proceed cautiously and tentatively, focusing instead on teaching them the art of asking the right questions. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgements and prejudices that is a free mind. Think about it.

<B>Prof E. Charoux

[email protected]</B>