Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! Culture and technology are changing rapidly, and businesses that fail to adjust will not survive. Many leaders need help adapting because they are either unaware of how the changes in the world will affect them or they are unsure how to approach change in their organization. The critical thing to remember is that being curious as a leader doesn’t just benefit you. It creates a team that’s more resilient, more empathetic, and certainly more creative. So, how do you ensure your team continues to move forward? The first step is to engage your curiosity. Today on The Champion Forum Podcast, we discuss the power of curiosity in leadership!
Defining Curiosity in Leadership
Curiosity is the desire to learn, explore, and understand. It drives leaders to ask questions, seek new perspectives, and continuously improve. Great leaders don't settle for the status quo. They are always looking for ways to innovate, improve, and better understand their team and industry.
The Benefits of Curiosity in Leadership
Enhanced Problem-Solving: To be effective, leaders need to examine all angles. Curiosity helps leaders process information, identify blind spots, and thoroughly understand the problem and multiple possible solutions.
Improved Decision-Making: The more curious leaders are about the problem and its solutions, the better decision-makers they will be.
Stronger Relationships: Curious leaders are more likely to be empathetic because they show a genuine interest in their team members. The more insight they gain into their team members’ thoughts, ideas, and concerns, the more they will be able to build strong relationships.
Continuous Learning: Curiosity helps leaders understand their weaknesses and develop an interest in learning new skills. If you are not curious, it is easy to become complacent and miss out on new trends and technologies.
Q: Given the benefits, why do you think leaders are not curious? If you believe leaders are curious, explain why. What do you think causes leaders to avoid taking action on their curiosity?
Real-Life Examples of Curious Leaders
Steve Jobs - CEO of Apple Inc.
Indra Nooyi - CEO of PepsiCo
Elson Musk - CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
Walt Disney - President of Walt Disney Company
Q: Why do you think curiosity helped these leaders become successful? Where do you see curiosity in their businesses?
Cultivating Curiosity as a Leader
Ask Questions: Be collaborative and seek out answers from your team. Use open-ended questions to guide the discussion and ensure everyone has a voice. Here are some questions to help you get started:
1. What if?
2. What do you know that is new?
3. What do we need to know to make this decision?
4. What does this mean for us/our customers?
5. How would you approach this situation if you framed it as an opportunity instead of a problem?
Embrace Learning: Help your team make time to learn new skills, network, and stay up-to-date on industry trends.
Encourage Curiosity in Your Team: Reward collaboration and curiosity. Cultivate an environment where questions, curiosity, and creativity are not only tolerated but also celebrated!
Stay Humble: Be willing to be wrong and look to others for feedback.
Expand your Network: You can’t always offer paid bonuses or training, but you can always offer to share your network with your team. Introduce your team members to people who could mentor them or help them better understand their role. Seek to attend networking events to grow your own network and learn from them, too. A mastermind is a great way to ensure you are expanding your network with relevant connections!
Q: What helps you be curious? Do remember the last time you felt truly curious about a topic, person, or environment? What caused you to be curious and how did your curiosity drive your actions?
Overcoming Barriers to Curiosity
People avoid curiosity for various reasons, from fear of the unknown to time constraints to comfort, etc. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong if you try something new, think about what could go wrong if you don’t! You will experience pain, but you can choose whether it is the pain of fighting for change or regret.
Application Activities:
Remember how effective the Book-It Program at Pizza Hut was at getting kids to read? Create a system to reward your team for embracing their curiosity! You could have a book reading challenge, podcast checklist, or other promotion encouraging people to complete extra training. Find out from your team what motivates them before you get started and celebrate their success!
Leaders often forget to be curious because they focus on the problems they are solving. An easy way to identify the more significant problems brewing in your organization is to categorize the fires you put out daily or weekly and consider how they are connected. Do you frequently have issues with customer relations? Or are most of your issues coming from supply chain limitations? Once you have identified the potential issue, get with a group of employees to discuss what they see and ask more questions. Then, come up with at least three possible solutions and select the best one.
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