On the surface, curiosity sounds simple. Ask questions, stay open, keep learning. But when you take it seriously, it becomes one of the hardest practices in leadership. Because genuine curiosity doesn’t just explore new ideas; it eventually turns inward. It makes us question the very beliefs we rely on to feel secure, competent, and right.
That’s uncomfortable work. Our beliefs give us identity and stability. Letting curiosity test them can feel like pulling at the threads of who we are. Yet this is also where real growth begins. Leaders who keep curiosity at the surface may learn new information. Leaders who let it touch their assumptions transform how they see, think, and lead.
When it comes to developing as a leader, curiosity becomes the doorway to maturity. It asks us to step into uncertainty, not as a threat, but as the very ground on which growth happens.
Why Curiosity Feels Threatening
Most of us don’t cling to beliefs because they’re logical. We cling to them because they keep us steady. Beliefs give us a framework for how the world works. They shape our sense of identity, guide our decisions, and help us feel secure in uncertain environments. In leadership, these beliefs can sound like inner truths:
“I must always have the answer.”
“If I show doubt, I’ll lose credibility.”
“Success means being in control.”
The problem is that these beliefs, while comforting, are often invisible. They sit beneath our awareness and act like anchors. They steady us in the short term, but over time, they stop us from moving with complexity. When curiosity starts to question them, it shakes not just what we think, but who we believe ourselves to be. That can feel destabilising, even threatening.
Neuroscience helps explain why. Our brain has two main pathways for dealing with challenge.
- The fast brain prioritises protection and predictability. It reacts quickly, drawing on old patterns to keep us safe.
- The slow brain, by contrast, is reflective. It pauses long enough to consider context, weigh options, and respond with intention.
Both systems are necessary, but they pull us in different directions.
When curiosity invites us to reconsider our assumptions, the fast brain resists. It reads uncertainty as risk and drives us back to familiar ground. This is why leaders often double down on control, approval, or caution under stress. It feels safer to defend what we know than to open ourselves to what might be true.
Yet without this disruption, there’s no real growth. Every step into vertical development involves moving past the comfort of old certainties. Curiosity, by its very nature, unsettles. But it’s that very unsettlement that clears the way for new ways of thinking and leading.
The Cost of Avoiding Deep Curiosity
When leaders step back from real curiosity, rather than escaping discomfort, they reinforce it. Avoidance keeps growth out of reach. Instead of questioning the assumptions that quietly drive their behaviour, they fall into the familiar patterns of the Red Zone.
The Red Zone is made up of stress-driven habits that once served a purpose but now limit effectiveness. These show up in different ways:
- Approval: Tying self-worth to being liked or valued, which can slip into people-pleasing and passivity.
- Control: Relying on force, perfectionism, or dominance to maintain order.
- Security: Clinging to what feels safe, leading to caution, defensiveness, and hesitation.
On the surface, these responses feel protective. They allow leaders to hold on to a sense of stability and preserve their image. But beneath that surface, they quietly erode performance and culture. Teams begin to sense the defensiveness. Dialogue shrinks. Trust thins out. Innovation slows.
Avoiding curiosity strengthens the grip of the fast brain. Instead of pausing to explore what a situation is really asking, leaders default to the reflexes that soothe them in the moment. The cost goes beyond personal stagnation, eventually impacting the culture that grows around them. A team learns quickly what’s welcome and what isn’t. When curiosity is absent at the top, it doesn’t flourish anywhere else.
Curiosity isn’t optional for growth. When it’s avoided, the Red Zone becomes the operating system, and leadership becomes a cycle of reactivity rather than a path of maturity.
Curiosity as the Essence of Growth
Curiosity in leadership isn’t just about gathering knowledge or staying up to date with new ideas. At its deepest, it’s the practice of asking questions that reach beneath the surface.
Not “What’s the latest trend?” but “What assumptions am I protecting?”
Not “What do I already know?” but “What might I be missing?”
This kind of curiosity is the foundation of vertical growth. It expands a leader’s capacity to think, respond, and relate in more intentional ways. It challenges the beliefs that once brought success but now risk limiting it.
How curiosity strengthens the Triple Goal
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Two practices from the Leadership Growth Profile sit at the heart of this discipline:
The first is Beginner’s Mind: approaching challenges without assuming you already have the answer. This mindset makes space for new possibilities and for others’ ideas to flourish.
The second is Cultivate Curiosity: asking questions that invite perspective, listening beyond what you expect to hear, and staying open even when the answers unsettle you.
Together, these practices move curiosity from concept to daily habit. They remind leaders that growth isn’t about having more answers. It’s about asking better questions and staying with them long enough to see what new growth emerges.
Emotional Courage: Staying With Discomfort
Curiosity sounds appealing in theory, but in practice, it takes courage. It invites us to sit with ambiguity, to allow doubt, and to live without the comfort of certainty.
For leaders, that can feel risky. Many are conditioned to provide answers, not questions. To stand in front of a team without a clear solution can feel like weakness. Yet this is exactly the posture that opens the door to growth.
What makes curiosity sustainable is psychological safety, both internal and external. Leaders who can steady themselves in the face of discomfort are far more able to create safety for others.
Inner safety is built on practices that anchor you when the ground feels unstable: recognising your triggers, tolerating uncertainty, and holding steady when instinct pushes you to retreat. Only then can you extend safety outward, making it possible for your team to ask questions, raise concerns, and share ideas without fear.
One key to this is self-regulation. It allows leaders to pause in the very moments when stress or defensiveness threatens to take over. With practice, that pause creates room for more constructive choices:
- Asking a genuine question instead of asserting control
- Naming discomfort openly, which often defuses it for others
- Choosing values-based action rather than reflexive reaction
This is the work of emotional courage. It’s not about eliminating fear or uncertainty. It’s about staying present with them long enough for curiosity to keep leading the way.
Curiosity in Practice: Real-World Leadership Scenarios
It’s one thing to speak about curiosity in theory. It’s another to see how it shifts leadership in action. Here are three everyday scenarios where leaders use curiosity as a practice, and the difference it makes.
1. Inviting Feedback That Challenges Decisions
A senior executive rolls out a new strategy and, instead of defending it, asks their team: “What do you see here that I might have overlooked?”
At first, the room is hesitant. But when the leader listens without interruption, people begin to share concerns about resources and risks. The conversation surfaces blind spots that could have derailed delivery.
The result is a stronger plan and a team that feels ownership in its execution.
2. Reframing Conflict Through Curiosity
In a project meeting, two departments clash over priorities. The leader notices tension rising but chooses not to impose a decision. Instead, they ask both groups to outline the assumptions driving their positions.
By exploring the “why” behind each stance, the conflict shifts from personal defence to shared problem-solving.
The outcome is not only a clearer way forward, but also a deeper respect between the teams.
3. Exploring Shadow Assumptions
A manager notices they avoid pushing back on poor performance. Rather than excusing it, they ask themselves: “What belief am I protecting?”
Reflection reveals a hidden fear of being disliked. By naming it, the leader begins experimenting with more direct conversations.
Over time, this raises accountability in the team and reduces frustration that had quietly been building.
Across these examples, curiosity fuels engagement, unlocks innovation, and strengthens psychological safety. It transforms everyday leadership moments from opportunities for control into opportunities for growth, both for the leader and for those around them.
Practical Pathways to Cultivate Curiosity
Curiosity doesn’t grow by chance. It needs daily practice and intentional habits that stretch leaders beyond comfort. A few pathways can help make curiosity sustainable:
- Daily reflection: Ask questions that uncover patterns beneath behaviour. For example, “What belief did I protect today instead of questioning?”
- Structured feedback loops: Tools like the Leadership Growth Profile provide clear insight into how others experience your leadership, surfacing blind spots you can’t see alone.
- Mindfulness practices: Short pauses, breathing exercises, or journaling help strengthen tolerance for ambiguity and keep reactivity in check.
What matters is consistency. Curiosity is less about a single breakthrough and more about building a muscle. Each moment of inquiry, each pause before reaction, reinforces the habit of looking deeper. Over time, these practices shift curiosity from a helpful trait into a defining discipline of leadership.
The Courage to Question
Curiosity isn’t a tool leaders pick up when convenient; it’s a practice that shapes how they grow and how their teams thrive. It asks us to sit with uncertainty, question our own assumptions, and grow beyond the patterns that once kept us safe.
Leaders who practise curiosity create environments where performance, learning, and culture thrive together. The work is challenging, but it’s also the essence of mature leadership.
If you’re ready to explore how curiosity and vertical growth can reshape your leadership, learn more about transforming your organisation with the Leadership Growth Profile.
