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Although Curious George is fictional character, he is also a leader who has endured the test of time. He taught so many of our children and us important lessons about the value of exploration and persistence. He viewed his world with an open mind and a place to find truth and transparency. His innocence captivated all of our hearts as we travelled with him to crazy places. He welcomed us into his non-judgmental environment to engage with extraordinary and often a bit odd people. We loved it! We became exhilarated with his adventures. And we all followed him with glee. What made George a childhood friend and partner for adults alike? George had the gift of curiosity.

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At its simplest, curiosity is “a strong desire to know or learn something”. It evokes a sense of wanting to understand more about the world around us. One thesaurus offered the synonym- “spirit of inquiry” for curiosity, which seems to capture the true action of exploring.

When leaders possess a gift of discovery, they have a natural tendency to want to delve deeper into why things and people are the way they are. What their eyes see and their ears hear, may not be what is really happening. In a sense, the leadership gift of curiosity transforms us into detectives. When we can get to the bottom of things and learn why team members or people connect or are behaving in a certain way, we gain great insights. Just like Curious George, leaders who go on the hunt can grow, become wiser and meet up with the most fascinating people. Here’s how:

DEVELOP AN EYE FOR INVESTIGATION

A curious leader looks at their world around them and is interested in understanding more clearly why actions are taking place and why people are displaying certain behaviors. Instead of just wondering why a team member is pushing so hard to promote their idea, ask. Find out the underlying facts and thoughts behind someone’s suggestion. Maybe they have a point. Maybe they see a perspective that is unfamiliar or just vastly different from where you sit.

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LEARN TO CONNECT THE DOTS

As children we are taught to establish connections between related pieces of information whether in math problems or solving mysteries. Leaders who work hard at discovering patterns and associations between disengaged people and their workload can oftentimes help others find a more meaningful way to approach a project or interaction. Working with this young leader, I helped him figure out a way to make room for all the urgent and unexpected requests he deals with daily. It took time but with my “outside” perspective and his “inside” knowledge we succeeded.

IGNORE DISTRACTIONS

Curious George was not put off when he couldn’t find who he was looking for immediately. He stayed the course until he located who or what he was pursuing. Leaders constantly deal with interruptions that can derail them if they allow it to happen. We need to be respectful when telling others that we can’t help them at a particular moment by saying that we would be happy to help them as soon as we are done with what we are doing. Not so easy sometimes but in the long run will model a culture that isn’t all about emergencies.

How have you welcomed the leadership gift of curiosity? How has being curious empowered you to be a stronger leader?

 

 

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