There is an old saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” This, of course, has to do with the fact that cats often get themselves in tight circumstances because they are extremely curious. For those of us with cats, how often have we had to rescue our feline friends from themselves after they somehow got stuck in a closet, drawer, or worse! However, while curiosity may be dangerous for a cat, it is critically important for a leader. Without curiosity, leaders become stale and organizations decline. The mark of a vibrant company is that they are always asking the question, “What can we do better?” Organizational change experts Olson and Eoyang describe the best leaders as ones with the most questions, such as “What’s missing? How else might we think about this? What are the innovations that will create a new pattern for the organization? One of the characteristics of great leaders is their curiosity about everything.
Recently I was reading a book about “The tactics, routines, and habits of billionaires, icons, and world-class performers” and I came across a quote from Pierre-Marc-Gaston, who stated, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” This shows curiosity, rather than bravado. This demonstrates humility rather than arrogance. This points to wisdom, rather than foolishness. Blogger, writer, and self-proclaimed “compulsive note-taker” Tim Ferriss stated, “While the world is a gold mine, you need to go digging in other people’s heads to unearth riches. Your question are your pickaxes and competitive advantage.”
Leader – what questions are you asking? What nuggets of golden wisdom are you discovering with your curiosity? We have one mouth and two ears for a reason. Ask a curious question, then listen to twice the answers. Be curious and learn as you lead.
Lead well.