An approach to learning: a beginner’s mind for social good
Think about the last time you paused to take in a beautiful scene. Was it a sunset, the sound of waves crashing, or your child’s reaction to a new sweet treat? I wonder if it was like you were experiencing that happening as if for the first time. You noticed the sun’s colors, the interplay of wind, water and earth, or the sheer joy in your loved one’s expression. You did this without any thought about prior experiences of sunrises, waves, or joyful loved ones. These moments remind us of our innate ability to be fully present, curious, and full of wonder.
If only briefly, you set aside prior knowledge or biases to experience something anew. This ability is a superpower. And when you can combine the new information you gather with your existing knowledge and previous experiences, the result is impactful.
This approach to learning—experiencing a moment as if for the first time—is called beginner’s mind. It is a concept from Zen Buddhism. A beginner’s mind is not a talent; it is a skill. It’s something we’ve all experienced and can practice and improve.
I’ll share my own experience with this skill, followed by practical ways to cultivate a beginner’s mind in social good work for greater impact.
How I discovered beginner’s mind
Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art that emphasizes blending and redirection of aggressive energy. I trained and instructed in Aikido for about 20 years, and this practice shaped my understanding of beginner’s mind.
When training, the same technique is taught hundreds if not thousands of times. In observing my peers, some would be able to execute the technique closer to what the sensei instructed while others proceeded to practice their own version. It seemed as if they ignored the instruction entirely. Interestingly, new students often applied guidance more effectively than senior students. Why is this?
There are many reasons. It could be anything from the challenge of unlearning something to allowing ego to interfere with growth. Those that are more successful in evolving their technique can listen, see, and feel what is being demonstrated by a sensei. They are able to integrate this new instruction into their own mind and body more quickly. It is not easy, but they can experience the technique that is being demonstrated as if they were seeing it for the first time. They then, like a beginner on the mat, intentionally apply their body and energy to replicate what they experienced with greater accuracy.
Opportunities to practice beginner’s mind in nonprofit work
Practicing a beginner’s mind is a way to approach our daily experiences. It is a way of taking in information — a state of mind of being open through curiosity and wonderment. You set aside any bias or prior experience that might cloud or re-frame an experience. You then take this new information, consider how to integrate it with your prior knowledge when needed, and determine when to take action.
Anyone can practice a beginner’s mind at any moment in their life. Doing so does not require martial arts training.
Whether as a nonprofit staff member or consultant, there are infinite opportunities to practice. The outcome from doing so can be quite profound.
Taking a people-first approach to services and resources
Sometimes an expression used to describe a beginner’s mind is to “see things how they are.”
In nonprofit work we create all sorts of things for others.
- Resources and programming designed to benefit those we serve.
- Annual reports to share with supporters and partners to celebrate our shared efforts.
- Fundraising asks to connect and inspire a community that may want to be an active part in achieving a shared mission with you.
The impact of the above is better when you can put the needs of the appropriate audiences first.
So we create audience personas to help inform our content and communication work. These help “put us in the shoes” of the people the work is for. There are many ways to gather information about our audiences to document a persona. We can talk to representative people, we can survey, and we can review past communications. Likely, we can all agree that a persona is not about us, but rather about the audience it represents. Consider this opportunity with a beginner’s mind.
The more you can set aside your prior knowledge and intently take in the information being shared, the more authentic the persona will be. Similarly, a beginner’s mind is critical when applying your persona to content development. When planning a new piece of content or editing one, put your own needs and ego aside. The resource is not for you, but rather for the people it seeks to engage or serve. Use the persona as your teaching. See the needs of that audience as they are and intentionally assess the piece you are working on for them.
These are perfect examples of activities where learning with a beginner’s mind can improve the quality of your work.
Learning from community feedback
Imagine reviewing feedback from a recent community survey. You’re excited but a little apprehensive—what might you hear this time? You might be expecting some criticism. Take a step back, approach the responses with curiosity.
Treat each piece of feedback as a fresh opportunity to learn. As you take in the information, put yourself aside. This is particularly important with any critical feedback.
After you take it all in and begin to process, you consider your deep learning and ask the questions of yourself and the team to turn it into informed action.
- “What new challenges are people expressing?”
- “What shifts in community needs might these responses reveal?”
- “How do we evolve our personas to reflect the reality of the audience(s) who is sharing with us?”
- “What existing solutions should evolve?”
- “What new solutions that are in line with our mission should we create?”
Questions such as these can help bridge the learning and apply it alongside prior experience to make your work more impactful.
Learning from team members
A brainstorming session with the right guidelines is a perfect opportunity for a team to practice beginner’s mind. If you set a rule that during the brainstorm we won’t critique or evaluate ideas, you create space for a bit of wonderment and creativity. The focus is on ideating and sharing. Questions posed should only be about understanding shared ideas. Save any assessment or decision-making around expressed ideas for a distinct follow-up activity.
This said, there may be times where a beginner’s mind is helpful but may be more challenging to apply. You are in a planning meeting. Ideas are flying, but so are the challenges and critiques of those ideas. Tensions are getting a little high. A teammate offers a critique of the organization’s outreach strategy. It’s not easy to hear, but instead of pushing back and getting defensive, you pause. Like the brainstorm session above, you ask a question to learn more about the challenge, “Tell us more.” You lean into the feedback, asking a question to clarify and fully understand the perspective being shared.
This is a great illustration of practicing a beginner’s mind. You set aside defensiveness and your connection to a prior effort to explore a potential new angle. Then you can appreciate the new perspective and decide—what, if any, action to take—at an appropriate time. What started as a potentially difficult conversation can turn into a moment of growth.
Considering something new that might be in an area of challenge for you
Change, especially when it involves technology, can be overwhelming for many people. I love technology. I love seeing if it can help me do what I do better. But my goodness, as much as I am diving into A.I., I’m feeling its overwhelm all the same.
For many people, the overwhelm or negative mindsets may get in the way of even trying to learn or explore a new technology. There are many reasons why, and technology is just one example of a common topic that brings similar challenges. But maybe the challenge you feel is at a level that you are motivated to work through. In these situations, a beginner’s mind practice might entail putting aside your prior experience. With personal grace, see if you can find that wonder and curiosity to learn more about a new piece of technology and assess any benefits or challenges it may bring.
Maybe your organization is adopting a new CRM system to streamline donor management. The team has relied on manual processes for years—ones you know well and have made work. There might be some nervous laughter as you all open the new software for the first time. But instead of letting hesitation take over, you remain open to the learning process.
As you discuss the new system, you focus on questions around understanding how the system can address your and your donors’ needs.
- “What can this tool teach us about our donors?”
- “How can it help us personalize our donor communications?”
- “How does it save me time so I can focus on the people work and being strategic?”
The energy stays with curiosity. You stay open to what is before you. Then you can assess the learning against prior experience to explore where it is improving, where it is not, and see how to take action from there.
A Beginner’s Mindset: Approaching each moment with curiosity and care
We all have the capability to learn and experience our lives with a beginner’s mind. We can find ways to tap into moments of learning as an infant or young child does and blend it, with skill, to process that learning to take action as a more seasoned individual. Like so many things, we can improve at this when we create moments to practice with intentionality.
So, imagine bringing that same openness to your work. Start small.
Approach your next meeting or conversation with a sense of wonder. With a willingness to learn from and with key stakeholders regardless of prior experience. See how that can change your interaction or approach for the better. Then find another opportunity to try again.
Over time, your practice can deepen your understanding and amplify your impact. Your openness can inspire those around you, and together, you’ll discover new ways to advance your mission.
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Seth Giammanco is the Website & Digital Strategy Lead at Minds On Design Lab (https://mod-lab.com). With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in helping organizations level-up their digital brand expression with beautiful, user-friendly, and user-first websites that connect people to the heart of a nonprofit’s mission. His portfolio includes projects with wonderful organizations such as The Coast Guard Foundation, NAF, EmbraceRace, WeRobotics, and the Tribeca Film Institute.
Seth frequently contributes to the Minds On Design Lab blog (http://mod-lab.com/blog), where he shares insights on digital strategy and websites. He is also active on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgiammanco/)