“The first element of curiosity as a practice is being curious about ourselves. And a lot of times what we see in the workplace is people say, ‘Oh, that person was respectful or disrespectful.’ We don’t actually ask ourselves, ‘Why do I feel that way? Why do I feel disrespected?'” ~ Julie Pham

Respect matters, says Julie Pham, PhD. But it’s also relative, subjective, and contradictory. It’s complicated. Her book 7 Forms of Respect: A Guide to Transforming Your Communication and Relationships at Work makes the case that respect is all about honing our curiosity practices. Inward curiosity to unearth our own feelings about respect, and outward curiosity to help us discover and deliver what others need and want.

A tool kit for navigating relationships and staying focused on what matters most.

“I think it’s actually perfectionist thinking when we try to do all seven [forms of respect]. And sometimes they can contradict.”

Listen to Choose to be Curious #198: Curiosity & Respect, with Julie Pham, PhD

Learn more about Julie Pham’s work at CuriosityBased and check out 7 Forms of Respect.

Theme music by Sean Balick. “Zig Zag” by The Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.

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