Curiosity. It’s a trait most often attributed to kids. And for good reason – kids have endless questions. Kids can teach us many lessons if we’ll only quiet the noise both inside and outside our head. The best lesson – especially for today’s leaders – is to rekindle our curiosity.
Being a leader today is hardly child’s play. Changing markets. New technologies. Disengaged workforce. The list goes on.
And our biggest challenge? Getting people to work across silos. The biggest challenge under any leader’s control is getting people to work together. So how do we do this? Lead with curiosity.
Research shows:
- Curiosity helps everyone adapt to uncertainty. Leaders know the only thing certain about today’s business environment is uncertainty. As opposed to being hampered by the fear and reservation that comes with uncertainty, being curious puts us on the offensive. Curiosity brings forth exploration and investigation…and makes things less uncertain.
- When we’re curious, we think more deeply and more rationally about our decisions. Curiosity is an endeavor to learn and understand more. When we’re curious we not only gather more information but also formulate more context and broader perspective. When we have more information, context and broader perspective, it makes sense that we are more rational with decisions.
- Leading with curiosity gains you more trust and respect and inspires employees to develop more trusting and collaborative relationships. It’s easy to understand how more trust and respect in any organization are helpful, but we often overlook the importance of trusting and collaborative relationships, especially across silos. By leading with curiosity, we silently give permission for others to be curious. And better relationships across silos lead to better productivity and results.
We all know how to be curious. Is your organization curious? If the answer is no, start leading with curiosity.
