The Curious Case of the Uncurious Leader

Upon joining a previous organization, I had the opportunity to sit down with the CEO. The purpose of the meeting was for me to gain insight into their background, vision for the company, and to address any questions I had. It was a typical meeting between a CEO and a lower-ranking employee, where we discussed their career progression and how they attained the CEO position.

The conversation was superficial and felt like I was receiving a live reading of their resume and accomplishments.

We also talked about the organization’s mission to impact people’s lives. This is one of the reasons I joined the organization, and while we talked about the mission, it felt more artificial than genuine. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the CEO believed everything they were saying, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I believed them. I decided to do what I do often –

I asked more questions.

It wasn’t until I asked a specific question about our customers’ challenges with us, that I started to have an authentic conversation with the leader. When I asked, “What do our customers wish we could do better?”, the CEO’s facial expression shifted. They stepped back, looked me in the eye and said, “What I can tell you Carlos, is that the customers you will be working with are all high-maintenance.” I asked them why and they replied with, “I’m not sure, I just know they complain a lot.” I could sense an undercurrent irritation toward our customers, and it was clear they wanted to move on from the topic. Being conscious of my facial expressions, I realized I shouldn’t push it, as you can imagine I wasn’t trying to get fired on the first day!

I kept my composure, asked a few more soft questions, and left the office.

When I got home my wife asked me,” How did it go?” I told her I certainly learned a lot from the CEO today. My wife, knowing me so well, said, “And….?” I added, “I think the CEO seems to want employees who will challenge their assumptions, but I sense their lack of curiosity in getting to know me and more concerning, getting to know our customers.”

Still, I hoped I was wrong and looked forward to working there for many years to come.

Fast forward a handful of years later. I witnessed countless turnover and senior leadership changes. Each decision being made with little foresight and understanding of the true impact it had on their internal and external stakeholders.

Looking back, my first impression was bang on.

I once had a customer who needed some clarity on our data and security policies. When I approached the CEO and other leaders, their reactions were similar, ‘but why do they need clarification?” I explained the client needed it for legal/consent reasons, and their response was, “I don’t understand why this client is so challenging”. As a result of not having perspective to understand or acknowledge our client’s needs or look for a solution or workaround, the relationship ended. Surprisingly, months later, the leadership team wondered why we weren’t still doing business with that client and were eventually dismissed as ‘high maintenance’.

When we started having significantly increased turnover in the organization, there was no attempt by leaders across the company to understand or investigate why employees were leaving. We attempted to give feedback both one-on-one and anonymously, but no actions or follow ups were ever taken. Employees, along with the problems, were simply ignored. Despite preaching a culture of innovation, deep collaboration and customer satisfaction, their actual words and actions (or lack thereof) advocated to all leaders and employees to take a position of low empathy when it came to their customers. Only fooling a select few, their narrative was transparent to most clients, partners, customers, and employees.

A few years and countless frustrations later, I left the company. I simply could not understand how in our modern time, someone in a leadership role could lack such perspective, interest, and curiosity about what motivates their clients and employees. (Some of the smartest employees and greatest clients I’ve gotten to know and work with, by the way).

The experience taught me the importance of curiosity in leadership.

Having curiosity fosters leadership behaviours like inquisitiveness, empathy & cultural intelligence. Being a curious leader creates psychologically safe working environments, postpones our judgements, lessens defensive behaviour, helps us understand our emotions and promotes self-awareness.

So, what happens when you have a leader who is not curious?

1. They often won’t appreciate or welcome those challenging their ideas.
2. They can create an apathetic culture – A culture that lacks in enthusiasm, interest or concern.
3. They take part in the creation of an organization that is slow or non-existent in being innovative.

What happens when you have a curious leader?

1. They welcome diverse thoughts, different ideas, and perspectives, as well as diverse people.
2. Their organizations have low turnover.
3. They provide a psychologically safe working culture.
4. Their organization has improved decision-making and is innovative.

Humanistic Management

While no organization or leader is perfect, the willingness to ask questions and strive for improvement is crucial for effective leadership and a positive organizational culture. Embracing humanistic management, which values people above all else, is key to fostering curiosity and driving organizational success.

A focus on humanistic management is to have a distinct perspective on management in which people matter. After all, without people there is no organization.

So, get curious, ask questions, and lead the way to a more empathetic and innovative future.