The Case For Curiosity

Leaders have never been under more pressure to do more with less and to push their teams to solve complex, sometimes company-killing, challenges in days and hours, not months and years. In a world where leaders at every level are drowning in “shoulds’ why do we need to add another item to the list?

Well, that is easy, because to be a leader, a true leader of not only others but of yourself, the quest for growth is table stakes. The insatiable need to build on what has been learned, to adapt to changing circumstances and to “do better” every day at supporting the people in your life, especially those who look to you for support, guidance and sometimes as an example of what good leadership represents.

I have formally been in titled leadership roles since 2003, and what a ride it has been. From putting motivational posters up on the walls of my office to thinking that the hard-charging leaders I grew up watching on TV and in movies were the way to go to the first time someone gave me  “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard, I have been on a journey to dig deeper and to find what not only works but what works for me.

Curiosity has emerged as my leading value, strategy and tactic. To be specific, not simply the strong desire to learn, explore, and understand the world around us, as I believe that is table stakes to survive in our fast-paced world. What I mean is a genuine desire to understand the needs, interests, and experiences of others to serve them better.

True leadership curiosity will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the environment and circumstances in which you lead; it will also connect you to your people, your team, your tribe and everyone you interact with.

• Ask to learn, and not because you already know the answer.
• Ask to elevate and not to show what you know.
• Ask to add and not to take.
• Ask to participate and not take the lead

Curiosity is a leadership superpower that can 10x your team and your business and, at the end of the day, leave you feeling filled with pride in yourself and everyone you serve.

Curiosity is the superpower that leaves everyone it touches better than it found it.

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