Deloitte’s research shows that curious leaders (i.e., people who play a leadership role whether or not they have a “leader” title) have a set of common traits. These are the people that participate in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs, BRGs), DEI Councils and Working Groups, People Managers, and more. 

1. Curious leaders are intrinsically motivated
2. We all know the one person in our ERG that’s filling up a Slack channel with amazing articles and podcasts they are learning from! Leaders understand that the real motivation doesn’t stem from a reward, instead, motivation guides the journey. Curious leaders enjoy the journey and the activities along the way, because they present opportunities to learn, and lean into their potential. They are the ones diving into research and new learning, even when it’s not required by their job. 
3. Curious leaders are adaptive (flexible)
4. Our world is changing fast, and that requires a certain kind of flexibility. Business as usual, and “that’s just how we do it”, isn’t going to help us be successful. Curious leaders are paying attention to the world around them, listening for changes in the needs and desires of their customers, clients and beneficiaries. And this ability ultimately, helps them build new products and processes - innovation that helps them lead the way.  
5. Curious leaders ask a lot of questions
6. Remember our earlier course on silence. Remember, your caution doesn’t help anyone, but the courage to ask questions can. The ability to ask questions and show up with humility in areas where simply don’t know enough is a key leadership skill. 
7. Curious leaders are better problem solvers
8. Curiosity lets you see tough, gnarly situations through a lens of solutions. Yes, problems you face are complex, but they aren’t unsolvable. Curious leaders at their best are tenacious problem solvers. 
9. Curious leaders do → learn

As adults, we seek comfort. We want to know the outcome before we get started, and we often lean into situations where we know the result. This limits us from new experiences and new ways of doing things. Curious leaders prepare for risk and make that bold move. And if they fail, they get up, learn from the experience, and use it to inform future work.

Reflection

What/ when was your last curiosity expedition? The last time you went down a rabbit hole to figure out a problem?