Upstairs it was over 40 degrees.
I’d been laminating these composite test panels for weeks now. The Queensland heat was on by 8am, causing the resin to “go off” way too fast.
The panels were 1m x 1m square mock-ups of laminations that would be used on boats – after I made them, we would test them by effectively dropping heavy weights on them to see when they would break.
We were testing to see the resilience of each type of lamination.
The tin roofed building I was in was like a pressure cooker – the resin was “supposed” to be used at around 24 degrees. In this heat it was like dealing with jam and concrete at the same time.
I was sweating bullets as I laminated this stuff. I was 18 at the time and even then I was pretty sure this was on the far side of a bunch of workplace health and safety rules.
I didn’t mind the discomfort though – the thing was, this heat was ruining the lamination process.
The resin was catalysing so fast, it was making the lamination work way too rushed. It was ruining the job.
I’d turned a fan on, but it was like blowing hot air around an oven.
Why didn’t I move my work setup too somewhere cooler?
Why didn’t I do another job while this heat wave was on?
Because I simply was following the instructions.
I had put my head down to do the work,
I’d shunned curiosity.
So the boss at the time was intense, and the factory had a heavy feel to it.
The kind of place where questions weren’t really asked and rules were enforced quickly, with big signs reminding us.
It was a tense environment.
And as humans, when we are in stressful situations, it turns out that “curiosity” is not so much of an option.
We are forced into path dependence – we resort to “just doing our jobs,” or following the status quo.
As we learn from evolution, statistically, it’s just plain safer to copy and paste than it is to explore or diverge.
To be curious then, in a way, means to rebel – to explore new opportunities.
When we work to create a humanised, collaborative environment, we encourage curiosity to come through.
From here, we see ideation, innovation and positive change stemming from all “levels” in a group.
Of course, the shift can still feel risky at the time, but can be the difference between creating something that works or changes the game, and a failed experiment.
