The Archaeology of Listening 

In 1922, when archaeologist Howard Carter peered through a small opening into Tutankhamun’s tomb, he was asked a simple question: 

“Can you see anything?” 

His famous reply: 

“Yes, wonderful things.” 

What Carter saw in that moment wasn’t a complete story. It wasn’t even a complete picture, just the beginning of one. 

Like Carter, we often catch only a glimpse at first. The real work is staying curious long enough to look beyond our assumptions and discover what’s actually there. 

Most conversations work the same way. There’s the one being spoken, and there is the deeper story waiting to be understood. 

The challenge is that those stories are not always the same. 

That’s why listening is about more than paying attention. It is the discipline of remaining curious long enough for the deeper story to reveal itself. 

That was the focus of a recent Ariel Ask Me Anything session on listening without agenda, where facilitator and author Andrew McMaster explored a challenge that sits at the center of modern leadership: the tendency to listen through our assumptions rather than our curiosity. 

At first glance, the distinction seems subtle. In practice, it shapes everything from employee trust and team alignment to an organization’s ability to navigate change. 

When leaders talk about listening, they often focus on attention. Are people engaged? Are they asking questions? Are they staying present? 

But attention alone is not the goal. 

Discovery is. 

What Lies Beneath 

The most effective leaders understand that listening is not simply about hearing words, but about uncovering the experiences, concerns, motivations, and beliefs that sit beneath them. 

As responsibility grows, that becomes increasingly difficult. Leaders gain access to more information and greater decision-making authority, yet often become further removed from the unfiltered perspectives that help them lead effectively. 

People become more careful. Feedback becomes more measured. Conversations become more polished. 

Over time, leaders may find themselves hearing more interpretations than unfiltered reality. Everyone enters a conversation carrying assumptions about what needs to be said, what will be heard, and what is likely to happen next. 

Andrew explains that our brains naturally create meaning. We connect information, recognize patterns, and quickly build narratives that help us make sense of the world around us. It’s an ability that serves leaders well, but it can also lead us to conclusions before we’ve fully understood what’s being said. 

He illustrates this through the image of an iceberg. The words people speak sit above the surface. Beneath them are the experiences, assumptions, fears, motivations, values, and beliefs that give those words meaning. 

The challenge is learning to listen for what lies beneath the surface, to stay in discovery mode a little longer before deciding what a conversation means. 

The Discipline of Discovery 

Andrew shared a story about an Uber driver who believed in an advanced civilization that existed long before recorded history. Rather than dismissing the belief or debating the facts, Andrew asked a different question: 

“What does that belief do for you?” 

The conversation quickly shifted from ancient civilizations to something much more human. The driver explained that the belief gave him comfort. It helped him feel connected to a larger story about humanity and the knowledge passed down across generations. 

The lesson extends well beyond that conversation. The issue being presented is not always the issue that needs to be understood. Curiosity helps leaders uncover the meaning beneath the message. 

From Insight to Action 

Many organizations invest heavily in listening through surveys, town halls, and feedback channels. Those efforts matter. 

But Andrew offered an important reminder: people may leave a conversation feeling listened to and empathized with, yet if nothing happens afterward, they often conclude they were never truly heard. 

Listening, empathy, and action belong together. Trust grows when people see that their perspectives shape decisions, not simply conversations. 

Leaving Room for Discovery 

Listening without agenda means resisting the urge to decide too quickly what a conversation means. 

Andrew recommends a simple practice that creates this pause: 

“This is what I heard. Is that correct?” 

The question shifts the goal from responding to understanding. It allows leaders to test assumptions, uncover misunderstandings, and ensure that everyone is working from the same understanding before moving forward. 

Simple as it sounds, it creates space for something increasingly rare in organizations: genuine discovery. 

What We Find When We Keep Looking 

Howard Carter’s first glimpse revealed “wonderful things.” What followed was the work of understanding what they meant. 

Organizational listening is much the same. 

The first words are rarely the whole story. They are simply the starting point. 

What matters is the curiosity to keep exploring, the patience to look beneath the surface, and the willingness to understand what people are actually experiencing. 

Because trust, alignment, and meaningful change are built not on what organizations assume, but on what they take the time to uncover. What matters most is often waiting just beneath the surface, for those curious enough to uncover it.