What a great discussion question for the book club group: with what skill would you imbue all leaders for success and why?
My answer? The ability to not destroy curiosity.
While many CEO’s say curiosity is a necessary leadership skill, my experience has been that most organizations work overtime, covertly and inadvertently, to stamp out curiosity.
Common ways that leaders kill curiosity
They want efficiency.
Responding to the person who wants to know “why” and “have we thought about…” takes time. Time is a resource in chronically short supply, and leaders are rewarded for meeting deadlines, not for sponsoring curiosity. Which means the curious person who wants knowledge beyond what they know generally gets a reputation as being a time-waster, “Don’t let Tom be on your team. He wastes time by asking too many questions.”
They want fast decision-making.
Time is money, and money means success. Which means that bosses have preferred methods for making decisions…fast. Given time and performance pressures, they aren’t interested in the curious person who want to review the situation and determine if an ad hoc or process-based approach is best, if action or caution is most prudent, if information should be gathered narrowly or widely, if corporate interests or personal interests should prevail, or if the matter is one of continuity or change.
They don’t want a troublemaker on their team.
Too often, those who are curious are labeled as rebels. Output-oriented and bottom line focused bosses want employees who go by the book, not ones who want to rewrite the book. Google “how should leaders handle a troublemaker.” When I did, 1,150,000 results popped up. Curious people sometimes violate social norms with their questions and non-conforming behavior, so they make co-workers and bosses who like going by the book uncomfortable.
They like conformity.
I call this the vending machine approach to leadership. Someone asks a boss a question (that’s inserting the coins), out pops the correct answer (that’s getting the candy bar or bag of chips), and the employee takes the offering without question or pushback. No fuss, no muss, and so efficient which may be why a Harris Poll found that 60% of respondents said their workplace throws up barriers to integrating curiosity into their work.
They want to minimize uncertainty.
Curious people are intrigued by novelty. Novelty means the unknown. Dealing with the unknown sits outside the comfort zone of most people and organizations. “Stay in your lane” or “color within the lines” are common pieces of performance advice offered to the curious ones wanting to try something new.
They want people to get on board asap and be team players.
“Because of their preference for new information, curious people are less likely to prematurely commit to initial ideas and perspectives.” That’s not likely to endear them to many bosses. Bosses want employees to fit the mold, and curious ones often don’t.
Is your company on an innovation kick and disappointed in the lack of ideas and creativity employees are generating?
If so, look at the behaviors for which employees have been rewarded—fast, shallow, short-term decision-making; going by the book; fitting in; and the like. Therein may lie your answer as to where all the curiosity, wonder, and creativity went.
Image source before quote added: Pixabay
