The Lesson I Almost Missed by Wanting to be Right.
Curiosity isn’t just a personality trait—it’s a high-leverage leadership skill.
Early my leadership journey , I had a team lead who was consistently missing targets. Not by a lot, but enough that it was noticeable and irritating. His team was underperforming, communication was sloppy, and I was hearing rumbles from the grapevine.
Because I saw the symptoms, I made assumptions in my head: He’s not cut out for this, doesn't have the drive or the skills. I was ready to move on and fire him.
But before I made the final call, I decided to eliminate the ambiguity by having one last conversation. But this time, I went in with an open mind, and asked the question I hadn't asked before:
"What's your list of priorities right now? Walk me through your day and week."
What he shared left me feeling like a dummy.
It turned out he was absorbing work from the other facilities with inexperienced leaders. He was spending 40% of his time on tasks that weren't his job—things nobody asked him to do, but things that would have absolutely hurt the business if they fell through the cracks.
His productivity was not slipping because he lacked "intensity." He had more intensity than anyone; he just aimed it at problems that weren't his to solve. I couldn't see it because I hadn't bothered to look.
The Architect Leader vs. The Hero Leader.
In my coaching, I talk about moving from the "Hero Leader" (who rushes in to judge and "save" the day) to the "Architect Leader" (who builds self-sustaining systems).
The quality of your leadership is determined by the quality of the questions you ask BEFORE you form an opinion. Most leadership mistakes don’t come from a lack of intelligence; they come from a lack of CURIOSITY.
When we see a gap, our brains fill in the story—usually unfavorably:
Missed deadline? → He doesn't care.
Pushback in a meeting? → Attitude problem.
Quiet for a week? → Checked out.
The moment you decide someone is the problem, everything they do looks like proof. That’s the danger of confirmation bias.
How to Lead with "Tough but Fair" Curiosity.
Identify the Story: Ask yourself, "Am I reacting to what happened, or the story I’m telling myself about what happened?" Replace the narrative with a question: "What would lead a smart, capable person to do this?"
Model the Response: Your reaction to bad news IS your culture. If you freak out, people hide problems. If you get curious, people share them early.
The Bottom Line: Bad situations are inevitable, but bad interpretations are optional. Treat every "miss" as information, not an indictment. Your people deserve a leader who assumes the BEST and lets the facts talk them out of it—not the other way around.
Stop searching for WHO went wrong and start asking: "What happened here that I don't understand yet?"
#Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #ArchitectLeader #CuriosityIsGenius #ExecutiveCoaching