The Costs of a Lack of Leadership Curiosity
The power of leadership curiosity lies in its ability to engage our wise brain, the part of the brain that envisions ways to improve things for the future. In contrast, leaders who are telling us what to do engage our primitive brain, causing us to feel undervalued and incapable of contributing. This blog post will discuss how a lack of curiosity hinders peak performance. Next week, we will explore the benefits of leadership curiosity.
We challenge leaders who are tellers to be more curious. The problems they have today will likely reoccur if they are not curious about why they occurred the first time.
University athletics, like any university setting, provides a wonderful study environment. Every year, a new group of freshmen tests the limits of acceptability in almost everything you can imagine. While working alongside University of Michigan Football Coach Bo Schembechler, I found him to be incredibly curious about the freshmen’s actions. Based on his inquiries, he would warn them that if they thought they could push the boundaries, he was watching, and it would not be wise!
As you reflect on your curiosity as a leader, parent, or partner, consider how a lack of curiosity inhibits peak performance.
Leads to Team Members Feeling Devalued
Feeling undervalued as potential contributors to the team harms our self-esteem. Our primal brain enters defensive mode to avoid harm, leading us to refrain from investing in the team because we lack confidence in our ability to do the right thing.
Inhibits Critical Thinking and a Sense of Ownership Among Team Members
Leaders who are tellers create dependent team members, hindering their growth as they wait for instructions on what to do. Unfortunately, we have encountered this issue with leaders who actively seek out and hire individuals eager to follow orders strictly. As we coach leaders to embrace curiosity and ask more questions, we often observe puzzled looks from team members hired to comply, not to think. Many can transition because it’s natural for us to want to contribute; however, some have disengaged their thinking for so long that they need to find a different environment to thrive.
Inhibits Progress
As team members await direction, valuable opportunities slip away. Organizational agility diminishes as the leader becomes the bottleneck while team members wait to be told what to do.
Leads to Leadership Burnout
Not sharing the responsibility of organizational decision-making places all the pressure, accountability, and judgment on the leader. The leader is expected to provide the final answer. As David Marquet observes in Turn the Ship Around!, “…if you always have to have all the answers, you can never go home to eat dinner!” The pressure on leaders who are tellers escalates until they can no longer manage it, or their team members hit their limit, resulting in significant underperformance for the organization. Something will inevitably give.
Mutes Diverse Perspectives and Hampers Innovation
A team’s greatest asset is its diverse experiences and perspectives. A lack of curiosity hinders this asset not only in today’s decision-making but also in the potential for future creative and innovative ideas that could emerge.
Asking questions is more challenging and time-consuming; however, simply telling devalues team members who want to contribute, make a difference, and be recognized for their unique gifts.
Have you experienced this kind of leadership? What was the result for your team?
Next week, we will explore the energizing influence of leaders who genuinely build teams, encourage engagement, and appreciate each team member.