As leaders, we often speak about strategy, innovation, and execution as the cornerstones of performance. But there’s a quieter, more foundational skill that sits beneath them all: curiosity.
In our experience leading global teams through constant transformation, we know curiosity is often undervalued and unrewarded in the drive to faster, data-driven decision-making.
But in the age of uncertainty, it’s the ability to join imagination with pragmatism, to start before the question is obvious, to explore and experiment, to spark new thinking and inspire action that is the under-practised leadership skill.
It is curiosity that is the very engine of adaptability, culture, and growth.
The Business Case for Wonder
Research from Harvard Business School shows that curiosity leads to fewer decision-making errors, higher innovation, and more engaged teams. Gallup finds that organisations where people ask questions, share ideas, and challenge assumptions outperform their peers by 21% in profitability.
Why? Because curiosity breaks down silos. It invites us to explore, to understand before judging, to connect before commanding. In a volatile business landscape, curiosity is the antidote to complacency — the habit of asking “what if?” when others settle for “what is.”
Yet even as 92% of employees say curiosity boosts motivation, only one in four feels they can express it at work. That’s the leadership gap we must close.
The Neuroscience of Curiosity
Neuroscience tells us curiosity is more than a personality trait — it’s a biological driver. When we’re curious, the brain releases dopamine, the same chemical that fuels motivation and learning. This “reward loop” makes exploration intrinsically satisfying; it turns ambiguity into opportunity.
At the same time, our brains are wired for efficiency - to save energy by following familiar neural pathways, like water flowing through a well-worn riverbed. These shortcuts serve us in moments of pressure, but they also trap us. We keep solving problems the same way, missing the new stream waiting just beyond the bend.
Curiosity disrupts that pattern. It forces the brain to build new connections, to see from another angle, to literally rewire our thinking. That’s not a metaphor - it’s neuroplasticity in action.
Practising Curiosity as a Leadership Muscle
Curiosity isn’t spontaneous magic; it’s a discipline. We can train it daily through deliberate practice.
- Borrow perspectives: Ask how a competitor, regulator, or even a child might see your problem.
- Seek fresh inputs: Change your environment, your sources, your questions.
- Immerse deeply: Move beyond studying others to being them — walking their streets, hearing their stories, living their context.
Curiosity is a muscle, and like any muscle, it strengthens through use. The more we engage it, the more our organisations mirror it - becoming more open, agile, and resilient.
As we prepare for what’s next, let’s lead with the courage to wonder.
Because the most powerful question in leadership isn’t “What do I know?” it’s “What don’t I know yet?”