How do you model curiosity and learning as a leader in your organization?

Asking open-ended questions helps uncover new insights and encourages team members to think critically. It also promotes openness, allowing team members to share their perspectives for the betterment of the team and organization.

Asking open-ended questions is a great way to stay curious and learn. It's essential to recognize imperfections and express willingness to learn. Actively seek for diverse opinions, by demonstrating a genuine interest in understanding various perspectives. Establish a learning environment for sharing knowledge and experiences. Foster a growth mindset that allows the team to explore innovative solutions, learn from failures and move towards success.

Take a coach-like approach and shift your mindset to "not knowing" - Let go of wanting to be right or needing to have all the answers. When your own cup is overflowing, it's impossible to add more. You can start open-ended questions with "I'm curious about...", "I wonder if...", "What if...", etc. It is important to listen to the responses with an empty or beginner's mind - let others finish speaking and give your brain a moment to digest what was said. Resist the urge to agree or disagree with, rather seek to understand their perspective and ask clarifying questions: "What did you mean when you said... ?", "Could you elaborate on... ?", "What's most important with what you just shared?", etc. End with a call to action.

"‘The important thing is not to stop questioning.’ – Albert Einstein. As a leader, modeling curiosity and learning begins with encouraging exploration and innovation. Actively seek new ideas and perspectives, fostering a culture where questioning is valued. Embrace failure as a stepping stone to growth and encourage continuous development through mentorship and training programs. By demonstrating a commitment to learning, leaders inspire their teams to adapt, innovate, and excel in a dynamic environment."

Open ended questions sound easy on paper, but we get in a habit of accidently misusing them or not really structuring them effectively. Some things to remember: - Don't phrase your open ended question as leading or guiding to a response. - Try to avoid question stacking. - Use Socratic questioning and sequence your questions effectively. - Remember your 5 W's - Who, What, When, Where, Why.

As a founder it can get lonely and sometimes you don't have additional points of view that may challenge your ideas inside your company. The best way I have found to tackle this issue is having a business coach, some insurance policies even cover the cost. Having a coach can give you additional valuable perspectives from someone that can actually be impartial and even if you dont take every advise they give you, just talking out loud your ideas gives you the opportunity to reflect on your ideas.

Acknowledge that if there two people in the room that think the same way, then one of them is redundant! We really don't know what we don't know, and sometimes we need to be reminded of things that we didn't know we already knew. To develop a high-performing team, we need to lean on each other's strengths and perspectives. Develop a culture of having shared voices and create a psychologically safe environment where people feel safe to share their perspectives without judgement. Thank others for their contributions and let them know you appreciate their different perspectives. Keep in mind that not everyone thinks or communicates like you - provide the space or platforms needed for everyone to communicate the way they prefer to.

Some perspectives to seek: - A mentor - Local networking groups - Professional networking groups like ATD, etc. that are relevant for your industry. - Chamber of Commerce groups - Seek colleagues and other business partners - Look for pro-bono consultants who may be offering expertise for their organization.

Me gusta mucho este punto, coincido con esto y agregaria si no cometes errores no aprendes, justo de eso se fundamenta la experimentación. Estos dias escuchaba un video de Bené Brown en la cual comentaba que sin vulnerabiilidad no hay innovación, ni creatividad. Y es esta vulneravilidad la posibilidad de errar, fallar, reconocer y aprender para continuar.

Think like a scientist: - Capture your methods and processes - Write out the results - Reflect on what did or didn't work - Discuss and revisit. Feeling stuck? Look at Data. Look at patterns. Try some design thinking techniques.

Leaders should nurture a curiosity by constantly asking questions and challenging assumptions. Openly sharing their own learning journeys, including failures and lessons learned, creates psychological safety and normalises learning. Aligning purpose with employees' intrinsic motivations fuels creativity and experimentation. Leaders can foster creativity by encouraging unconventional thinking, embracing divergent ideas, and providing dedicated time and resources for exploration. Celebrating failed experiments as learning opportunities reinforces a growth mindset and reduces the fear of taking risks. Also, leaders should adapt and change course based on insights gained. Recognising creativity, and risk taking reinforces desired behaviours.

With my current startup, I began writing a blog as a way of mapping our journey. It has been the best opportunity for me to recall every milestone that we have accomplished. As a founder, every time you accomplish a milestone, you tend to think of the next one and you don't celebrate that specific win because the road ahead is still very long and there are still lots of things to do. This may not be the same for your team, so it is important for morale to celebrate the wins and take a pause to reflect on how we got there and where we are going. The only way to keep everyone moving in the same direction is by constantly telling them how far the next goal is and how good the journey has been, even if it has not

Recognize and reward the behaviors you want to embody. If you want to know how people behave, look at how they are measured. In my early career, I worked in the shipping and receiving department at Sears, where we were required to implement at least 3 ideas at work per year - I did 20+ in my first year. Setting a measurable target supported the behavior of keeping my eyes and mind open for ways to continuously improve my work environment. I loved it and was recognized for my contributions, which meant a lot more than just getting a paycheck.

• Stop punishing mistakes, actually celebrate success. • Ask team members "can you solve it?" Instead of a to-do list Also, creativity does not come from a formal process, it grows spontaneously in a fertile environment.

I think the playful aspect can still be taken into account here. Adults can also learn through play by stimulating the 5 senses. Instead of showing a boring PowerPoint presentation, the content can also be built, painted or described rhetorically in an exciting way. The concept of "thinking with your hands" is the basic building block of our training, i.e. we bring along modelling clay, Lego bricks, crayons, cloths or balls so that learning becomes a real experience.

Learning environments can also focus on elements of inclusivity: - how can you appeal to visual learners? - What are tools that we can use to engage auditory learners? - How can we leverage kinesthetic tools? - Can we learn by experience or role play? Get familiar with David Kolb and adult learning theory. Check out design thinking tools and engage in some research. Set your teams or collaboration infrastructure with tools to share and capture knowledge.

To drive innovation, leaders must cultivate a learning culture. They should model a growth mindset, openly learning and admitting knowledge gaps. Prioritize allocating resources like time, budget, and dedicated learning initiatives, training programs, knowledge sharing, guest speakers etc. Create psychological safety to voice ideas, challenge assumptions, and embrace failures as learning. Align learning with strategic objectives, communicating how new skills tie to goals to drive engagement. Embody curiosity, provide ample resources, enable risk-taking, leverage diverse perspectives, and strategically align learning. This nurtures an environment of continuous learning and experimentation to fuel innovation.

Modeling curiosity and learning as a leader is like being an explorer who constantly challenges themselves and others to venture into the unknown. Just as explorers seek new territories, leaders should encourage a culture of continuous learning and curiosity. Start by setting an example—demonstrate your eagerness to explore new ideas and knowledge. Challenge yourself and your team to step outside their comfort zones, much like explorers face unfamiliar environments. Foster an environment where questions are encouraged, and curiosity is celebrated. Provide support and guidance, much like an explorer rallies their team to face challenges together.

The Jay-Z song "Blueprint 2" can metaphorically represent modeling curiosity and learning as a leader in your organization. The song's title, "Blueprint 2," symbolizes the idea of a continuous improvement process, much like a leader's commitment to refining their approach. As a leader, this mindset encourages curiosity, strategic thinking, and a dedication to ongoing learning, fostering an environment where the team is inspired to grow and adapt. The key learning is that, like the lyrics of the song suggest, leaders should view their leadership style as a dynamic blueprint that evolves over time.

How not to act might be useful to reflect on. - I already know everything (mindset) - Communicate with arrogance - Dont listen to others - Dont learn from failures, but ignore them instead - Dont reflect - Dont show mercy, softness, generosity, understanding - Dont you dare speak to other people, they might have something useful to say.

One thing to consider is to take a look at the 'ODC' framework I use when coaching senior execs to 'Lead FOR Innovation': Owning - How do leaders take OWNership by articulating clear strategic direction, allocating resources, fostering experimentation. This sets the tone for creative thinking, learning etc. Driving - How do leaders enable middle managers to actively 'DRIVE' the innovation agenda by empowering cross-functional teams, enabling feedback loops, identifying trends, and championing idea creation/problem solving to maintain momentum. Contributing - How leaders and middle-managers work together to enable every other employee to CONTRIBUTE to the innovation agenda on a day-to-day basis i.e build a culture of innovation.