The Leadership Shift That Drives Performance

In today’s complex and fast-moving business world, the best leaders are not the loudest in the room or the quickest to critique. They are the most curious.

Too often, leaders default to judgement: “Why didn’t this get done?” “What went wrong here?”

While well-intentioned, this approach shuts down dialogue, sparks defensiveness, and kills innovation.

On the other hand, curiosity invites understanding, fosters accountability, and builds trust—the very ingredients high-performing teams thrive on.

Research backs this up. A 2023 study by Harvard Business Review found that teams led by curious leaders reported 24% higher psychological safety and generated 34% more creative solutions.

Curiosity signals to employees that their perspectives matter. That they’re not being interrogated, but engaged. That their leader is there to listen—not to label.

When leaders replace judgment with inquiry, conversations shift from blame to discovery. A struggling employee isn’t seen as a problem to fix, but a potential to unlock. A missed target becomes a shared learning opportunity, not a personal failure. And people step forward rather than shrink back.

So how do you build curiosity as a leadership habit? Here are two top practices:

1. Ask Better Questions
Curiosity starts with how you inquire. Ditch the “why didn’t you…” questions—they imply failure. Replace them with:

• “What’s getting in the way?”
• “What would make this easier?”
• “What’s one thing we haven’t considered yet?”

These questions open space for insight, not excuses. They invite responsibility without triggering shame. And they unlock solutions, fast.

2. Pause Before You React
Judgement is often automatic. Curiosity requires intention. When something goes wrong, take a breath. Before jumping in, ask yourself:

• “What might I not be seeing?”
• “Is there a different angle I haven’t heard yet?”

This micro-pause resets your mindset from critic to coach.

In the current climate—where teams are under pressure and complexity is high—leaders don’t need all the answers. They need better questions.

Curiosity is not weakness. It’s wisdom. And it builds the kind of connection and clarity that fuels real performance.

So next time you’re faced with a challenge, don’t ask “Who got it wrong?” Ask instead, “What can we learn?”

That’s the kind of leadership that moves people—and results—forward.