One of the unsettling trends I observed at big tech and FAANGs is that people are more interested in critiquing ideas than in understanding them.
BigTechs have a massive promotion-driven culture. Every action one takes is kind of a tick on one of the traits for promotion. Hence the behavior stems from a desire to be ‘visible’ and to stand out, but it comes at the cost of belittling someone and giving up on genuine curiosity and learning.
I am not saying not to ask questions in meetings and take things at face value, but sometimes, people need to be more curious without trying to show off their superiority over others.
One simple way to do this is by having a ‘no-criticism’ rule until the person is ready to take questions or has covered a significant portion of the topic i.e. an ‘explore first, critique later’ mindset.
Again, I will reiterate that it is important to strike a balance between curiosity and critical thinking. While it’s crucial to be open to new ideas, it’s equally important to evaluate them rigorously before implementation. The key is to ensure that the initial phase is free from judgment.
Be curious, not judgemental.