Organisations need to encourage ‘curiosity’ to keep up with today’s rapidly changing and complex environment and to deal with the influx of disrupters. To be successful, Boards need to be curious, Leaders need to be curious and this curiosity needs to be cultivated at all levels of the organisation. When you ask questions because you are genuinely curious, it opens up your mind to new ideas and helps you develop creative solutions to problems.

Leaders don’t need to know everything, in fact it’s not possible, given the pace of change. If Leaders develop their curiosity and ask the right questions, they open up their minds to new ideas and creative solutions.

Here are some ways to develop your curiosity:

• Don’t be the expert – Yes, you have a wealth of knowledge and experience in your field which is valuable, but also be open to and look for new and novel ways of doing things. Is there a rule, policy, process or way of thinking that has been successful for you in the past, but limiting you now?
• Ask questions, listen and observe – Ask the ‘why’ to understand.
• Think like a child – As Picasso put it “Every child is an Artist. The challenge is to remain one after you grow up.” An example: if a chalk dot is drawn on the blackboard and you are asked what it is? Would your response be the obvious ‘a chalk dot on the blackboard?’ What about an owl’s eye or a squashed bug?
• Drop assumptions – What assumptions can you eliminate when solving a problem?
• Try something new – Take a different route to work, read a book that is not typically your style, sleep on the other side of the bed. Essentially disrupt your routine and break habitual thought patterns. This will open your mind to new points of view.
• Listen to a hunch – Your subconscious mind constantly records and stores unrelated data. This data is combined into good answers that can be applied to your problem.
• Get rid of excuses – Excuses limit your thinking.
• Pause – Taking time to reflect and process information will bring about worthwhile ideas.

How curious are you? Click here to take a quick assessment and learn more about your curiosity profile.