Curiosity: A Hallmark of Transformational Leadership

One of the most important skills of a transformational leader is curiosity. It is also the motivating force behind achieving the seemingly impossible. 

If a nonprofit is looking to accelerate its growth, which is what we’re in the business of helping organizations do, there are three types of curiosity that are required of its leaders…

1.   Intellectual curiosity
2.   Interpersonal curiosity
3.   Intrapersonal curiosity

Let’s unpack each of these…

Intellectual Curiosity

Intellectual curiosity is what drives the desire to solve the world’s greatest challenges.  

Naveen Jain, in his book Moonshots, says this…

“Curiosity is the single most important attribute that humans possess. We are, in fact, the only species that asks 'Why?' and why is a question that leads to 'How?,' which is the stuff of innovation.”

He goes on to say that curiosity is the “accelerant behind creative disruption.” 

There are countless examples of inventions created out of curiosity. Here are just a few:

• Penicillin: In 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed mold growing on a petri dish that seemed to be killing bacteria. This chance observation led to the discovery of antibiotics and the antibiotic therapy revolution.
• Post-it notes: Spencer Silver was a chemist at 3M trying to create a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally created a weak adhesive that could be easily removed. It wasn't until a colleague, Art Fry, saw the potential for this adhesive in bookmarks that the idea for Post-it notes was born.
• Airbnb: Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia founded Airbnb after they struggled to pay rent and decided to rent out air mattresses in their apartment to attendees of a design conference. This curiosity led to creating one of the world's largest hospitality companies.

Ask yourself…

What are the “Why?” questions at my organization? What are we curious about? What problem(s) do we need to solve in order to increase our impact? 

Interpersonal Curiosity

Having the skill to navigate the sticky parts of work relationships with curiosity — interpersonal curiosity — is a hallmark of transformational leadership. 

It’s not just the work of HR!

Listen to Mary's story...

Many years ago, Mary went to the grocery store. The check out person was being particularly short with her that day, which Mary experienced as rudeness. As one of the baggers helped Mary to her car with her groceries (yes, this was back when they used to do that) she remarked to him about how rude the checker had been to her. He replied… 

“Yeah, I can’t even imagine what she’s going through. Her son was hit by a car yesterday, and is in the hospital. But she doesn’t feel like she can take a day off to go be with him. It must be really hard for her.”  

Mary vowed then and there to never again make an assumption again about what someone’s behavior means, but rather to be curious about what they might be going through.

When we DON’T lead with curiosity about someone’s behavior, we risk the possibility of making assumptions that are way off base.

When we DO lead with curiosity, we open up the potential for greater understanding and a deeper connection.

Transformational leaders get curious when they see their team members or colleagues behaving in ways that create tension or impact results. 

Here are some typical kinds of behaviors I’d encourage you to be curious about when you notice them. We’ve also offered some examples of how to initiate a curiosity conversation. When you do, you open up the channels of communication that enable you to build better relationships and help your team members, and yourself, grow.   

Avoidance (evidenced by things like procrastination, not meeting deadlines, not speaking up in a meeting)

“Hey Parker, I notice you often don’t speak up in meetings, but then you end up backchanneling to others on Slack after the meeting, and I’m just curious why you don’t feel comfortable speaking up in the meeting or coming to me directly with your concerns? 

Control (evidenced by things like micromanaging, discomfort with change)

“Hey Chris, I noticed that even when you delegate tasks to your team, you end up redoing their work anyway. As a result, your team isn’t putting their best effort into their projects. I’m just curious why you feel you need to redo everything?

People Pleasing (evidenced by taking on too many tasks, feeling overwhelmed, or complaining)

“Hey Mark, I’ve been hearing you complain about how much work you have to do, staying late hours and missing deadlines, and I’m just curious why you took on that additional project when you already had a full plate?

Anger (evidenced by tone of voice, harsh words, erratic behavior)

“Wow Taylor, I’ve never seen you blow up like that in a meeting before. I’m just curious what’s going on for you?”

Curiosity is also an incredibly valuable tool in the performance review process. 

The next time you’re scheduled to do a quarterly review with one of your direct reports, instead of addressing strengths and “weaknesses,” you might want to give this a try…

“Here are the things I see as your greatest strengths, and here are some things I wanted to get curious about with you.”

When we take this approach, we remove assumptions as we place ourselves on the same side of the table as our team member and get curious together with them. This opens the door to greater self awareness and growth. 

Ask yourself…

Where am I making assumptions about someone’s behavior and how can I engage with that person in curiosity today? 

Intrapersonal Curiosity

Intrapersonal Curiosity is curiosity about our own thoughts, behaviors, feelings and reactions. The ability to get curious with ourselves is a sign of emotional intelligence, which quite simply makes you a better leader.

You might start by noticing the same behaviors in yourself that you notice in others — avoidance, control, people pleasing, anger.

Self-reflection may sound like…

I’m curious why I feel like I have to tiptoe around Julie?

I’m curious why I get so triggered by my interactions with John?

I’m curious why I’m so afraid to bring my ideas to the Board?

I’m curious why I’m having such a hard time getting started on this project.

Here’s something that may help you understand the behaviors that baffle you the most…

Belief drives behavior.

So if you identify behaviors you’re curious about, follow that thread and further be curious about the belief that might be behind that behavior.

Ask yourself…

What thoughts, behaviors, feelings or reactions do I experience that baffle me the most, and that I would like to better understand, so that I can be the best leader I can possibly be? 

Curiosity — Intellectual, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal — is one of the hallmarks of Transformational Leadership. As you continue to grow as a leader, we encourage you to lead with curiosity, and allow it to drive innovation in solving some of the world’s greatest problems, deepen your understanding and connection to others, and open up new possibilities in growth and self understanding.

Here’s to the power of curiosity!

Pam, Lisa and Jeremy