I Didn’t Know That!

“When we are curious, we are alive.” — Brian Grazer, award-winning producer

Curiosity is the quiet engine of our profession. It animates our clinical interviews and sharpens our thinking: What is the pattern? What have I not yet asked? Yet most of our curiosity is directed toward disease, diagnosis, and treatment plans. What if we turned that same disciplined attentiveness toward one another, not because something is wrong, but because something more is possible? What might we discover about the people we work beside every day?

I remember the first time I learned that one of my now PeerRx buddies, also a local colleague, was quite passionate about fossils and collecting them. I had already known him for a while by then, and was surprised by this revelation. My next question, “What drew you to that?” opened a whole new world to our relationship as I learned his father had introduced this to him as a boy, and how this was still something that solidified their bond. This led to sharing about our families of origin and the influence our parents had on who we had become. That one simple question instantly deepened our relationship. 

Organizational psychologists describe “high-quality connections” as brief but meaningful interactions marked by curiosity, presence, trust, and active engagement.  Research has found that even small such moments can increase energy, collaboration, and resilience at work. When we take time to learn about one another’s interests, values, and motivations, teams function more effectively and individuals experience a greater sense of well-being. In medicine, we know that asking one more question can change a diagnosis. In relationships, asking one more question can change a dynamic. This curiosity reminds us that our colleagues are not only competent clinicians, educators, and leaders, they are also runners, musicians, caregivers, poets, gardeners, magicians—even amateur paleontologists.

What strikes me is how often we miss these moments as we move efficiently past one another. We exchange updates, solve problems, adjust schedules. Necessary work. Important work. But in the process, we sometimes miss the deeper narrative unfolding right beside us.  Curiosity, in its gentlest form, sounds like: “What energizes you?” “What first drew you to this work?” “What’s something you’re learning right now?” These questions are not intrusive; they are invitational. They signal, I see you as more than your role. And when people feel seen, something subtle shifts. Conversations feel lighter. Collaboration feels more fluid. The work regains texture.

This week, choose one colleague or member of your care team and ask a question that goes just beyond the surface. Not about a task. Not about a problem. About them. Listen with the same attentiveness you bring to a patient encounter. Notice what surprises you. Notice what expands. Because every day we practice medicine surrounded by stories still unfolding. And when we bring curiosity to one another, not to fix, but to discover, we strengthen the threads of connection that make this work not only sustainable, but more deeply meaningful. Yet one more reason that No One Should Care Alone.