INsight/ Power of Curiosity

Photo by Phan Cuong on Unsplash.

Manila, 9 January 2024 — On a scale of 1 to 10, how powerful is your curiosity for leadership?

Story

It happened this week. Exploring why the Nordic countries have produced so many world-beating companies, The Economist found that the curiosity of its corporate leaders has been an important factor. Companies like Lego, Ikea, Novo Nordisk—and many more—are thriving because they are open and curious with an international outlook and ready to adapt to changes.

This finding is not new. The importance of curiosity for leaders has been recognized continuously in the past 2,500 years. Some of the earliest influential champions of curiosity included Socrates, Confucius, Buddha, Da Vinci, and Locke. Many women leaders have said the same. Think of Hypatia of Alexandria, Hildegard of Bingen, Christine de Pizan, and our contemporary Malala Yousafzai.  

How then does curiosity enhance our effectiveness as leaders? On reflection, you know the answer to this question. Curiosity makes us show up to learn more, invest in opportunities, and enjoy new experiences. Showing up is often called the first rule of leadership. From our experience in coaching leaders, I agree. Nothing much will happen until you show up. And to show up, it helps to be curious. That’s why we explore today how curious you are to grow your leadership in this new year.

Challenge

Because you continue reading, I will assume that you are curious. As a leader, what is your next challenge after you show up with curiosity? Well, your curiosity is not a destination but rather the start of a process of continual inquiry into your leadership development. We grow as leaders when we practice and keep practicing. Our leadership development is a marathon rather than a sprint. So how do we keep up our pace?

That brings us to the second challenge, of making a commitment to your leadership growth. Commitment is the fuel in your leadership rocket. Without filling up the fuel in the tank and igniting it, your rocket won’t go anywhere. Commitment is essential to achieve a ‘lift-off’ on your leadership journey this year. Will you commit to developing your leadership development, starting now?

After you commit to growing your leadership this year, your next challenge is to become consistent in your leadership practice. That means working on it every day and week as an integral part of your work and life. Summing up, with your curiosity, commitment, and consistency, you are setting yourself up for a significant transformation in your leadership this year. Don’t worry about what that transformation specifically involves. That will unfold as you practice with your coach. 

Question

Leadership growth starts with asking yourself questions without knowing the answers. That’s why curiosity is so important, followed by your commitment to practice and your consistency to practice every day and week. Together, these make your next leadership transformation possible. 

Let’s go back to our starting point. How do you score the power of your curiosity for developing your leadership this year on a scale of 1 to 10? From our coaching experience, we are confident that you can transform your leadership successfully if you score the power of your curiosity between 8 and 10. Then you can move forward to making a commitment and developing consistency in your leadership practice.

Regardless of what kind of leader you want to become, and the nature of your leadership transformation, you will need to show up with curiosity, commitment, and consistency. Powerful curiosity gets you started, and we can coach you on your commitment and your consistency. If your power of curiosity is high, go ahead and set up a free strategy call so that we can discuss the kind of transformation you want to experience in your leadership this year, starting now. We look forward to hearing from you.