Kim’s Message: Instead of Assuming, Be Curious

I hate to admit it, but more often than not, I catch myself assuming that I know what others are thinking. And on a really bad day, I sometimes assume people are thinking just like me! (I hope I’m not alone here.) I do so much work around communication skills and I know that the best way to learn what someone else is thinking is to ask them. However, I really have to work at slowing down, because then I can take the time to ask more questions and listen to others, in order to know what they truly think.

I recently listened to several TED Talk videos, all from hostage negotiators who were sharing de-escalation techniques. Every speaker mentioned that their most effective de-escalation technique was being an active listener. And a few even said that in order to reduce assumptions, avoid jumping to conclusions, and to stop forming opinions based on limited information, people need to be more curious. Being curious to them meant asking why before assuming. What resonated with me is the idea that if I approach people, situations, and even my own thinking, with more curiosity and more questions, I will open the door to empathy, learning, and connection.

All that said, it’s important to our entire team at CEA to know what our members are thinking. So every August, we email a survey to CEA members to find out a variety of things, including what you value most and what new services or products you’d like to see CEA offer in the future. Thank you so much to those of you who stopped and took the time to share your thoughts with us. Here are some of the responses we received, which will help us plan our goals to make CEA be a better resource for you in 2026!

Top 3 Reasons for Joining CEA

1. Labor Law Compliance
2. Training
3. Employee Handbook

What Members Value Most

1. HR phone support
2. Forms and toolkits
3. Email alerts
4. On-demand training
5. Virtual training

Additional Benefits Desired

• More on-site events: in-person workshops, HR conferences, and seminars
• More Leadership Development Training
• Networking Opportunities

Membership Sentiment

If you participated in the CEA Customer Satisfaction Survey—thank you! Whether it’s asking employees to participate in an engagement survey, asking customers to participate in a satisfaction survey, or just reaching out to family and friends to ask how they are doing, be curious with the people who are important to you to find out what they are thinking!

 

 

 

P.S. Please let me know if you’d like to attend CEA’s Annual Meeting in Sacramento on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

We will be saying a very grateful goodbye to two board members (Sheryl Carlson and Sarah Hayden) and voting to accept two new board nominees onto the CEA Board of Directors for 2026!