Did you know that between 40-95 percent of human behavior is habit, including thought? This doesn’t bode particularly well for organizations—especially if you consider that everyone from entry-level roles to the executive suite likely operates on autopilot for a decent portion of their day. While we can’t really hack our brains to operate at 100%, we can do some retraining to create more positive and productive patterns of thought. The most overlooked way to achieve this is through curiosity.
At its core, curiosity is the desire to know something not because you have to, but because you want to. While maybe not the most obvious leadership trait, it’s one of the most impactful. Curious leadership requires the suspension of judgement and the discipline to listen more often than you speak. Through deep engagement with sometimes unexpected or seemingly unrelated topics and a willingness to empathize with the lived experience of others, business leaders can build trust and make both logical and human connections—ultimately driving innovation and efficiency.
