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Since curiosity and humility go hand-in-hand (you can’t have one without the other since asking questions subjugates oneself to the input of others), let’s look at four ways curiosity fuels leadership:
- Curiosity fuels competence. To be curious is to have a knowledge gap between what you currently know and what you need to know to be effective. Duplicate efforts or unmet timelines occur when people lack context; when their curiosity goes unanswered because the communication processes are ineffective. Alternatively, sharing information answers people’s questions and fuels their abilities to work.
- Curiosity requires confidence. To ask powerful questions there must be a balance between humility and confidence. You must be humble enough to know you don’t have all the answers and confident enough to admit it.
- Curiosity fuels growth. Stanford University professor and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, found that the difference between high and low achievers was what they believed–their mindsets. Specifically, she discovered two groups of people with two different mindsets–fixed and a growth mindsets.
- Curiosity builds adaptability. Questioning facilitates dialogue to explore new possibilities, to excavate biases and assumptions taken for granted, flip them on their ugly heads and find a new angle of perspective.
Curiosity serves a strong leadership purpose. Asking “how can we do XYZ better?” is no good without first asking, “Why are we doing XYZ in the first place?” While being results driven is important, asking the questions—the right questions—ensures you’re on the right track.
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General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, in a speech that may signal an end to seven decades of globalization, said his company is making a “bold pivot” in strategy as a response to rising protectionist political pressures.
“In the face of a protectionist global environment, companies must navigate the world on their own,” he said. “We must level the playing field, without government engagement. This requires dramatic transformation.”
As a response, he said, GE “will localize.”
“In the future, sustainable growth will require a local capability inside a global footprint. GE has 420 factories around the world giving us tremendous flexibility,” Immelt said. “We used to have one site to make locomotives; now we have multiple global sites that give us market access. A localization strategy can’t be shut down by protectionist policies.”
Globalization is being blamed for unemployment and wage inequality; there is a general sense that this must be somebody else’s fault; and improving competitiveness is not an option.”
He dismissed political criticisms aimed at his and other global companies, saying “I don’t listen to people who have no global context, never been in a factory or don’t want to compete.”
The full text of the speech is reprinted in the article.
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Highly motivated individuals with ambitious goals are always striving to be better, accomplish more, and operate at their peak performance. C-level leaders at top organizations know this better than anyone. That's why they hire executive coach Katia Verresen. In a recent post on First Round Capital, Verresen offered the top tips she shares with leaders to help maximize their performance, even when getting it all done feels impossible.
Verresen's executive coaching strategy focuses on improving her clients' energy, work flow and capacity. She helps her clients develop a mindset she called abundant thinking: "a mindset that gives you the creative agency and grit to reach your vision -- and, on a daily basis, to design your own life,"
Instead of reacting to what's going wrong, Verresen's entire approach centers around proactively curating a positive attitude. Through six simple re-framing exercises, Verresen helps her clients see the possible in the impossible, the positive in the negative and the promising potential in any complex, roller-coaster ride of a far-reaching goal.
- Notice and observe - Noticing is a choice, and it can open up alternative viewpoints. Instead of devoting all your energy to this one thing, open yourself up to observe other potential angles. Even asking open ended questions can be helpful. Tap into your natural curiosity to expand your knowledge.
- Adopt a neutral position - If you feel yourself becoming judgey, try to adopt a neutral position where you accept the situation is neither fair or unfair. It just is. If you could be more neutral about the situation, you will be more open to accepting that other forms of thinking or points of view exist.
- Prime yourself for positivity - Negativity breeds more negativity. If you're feeling particularly negative, there's an easy way to snap out of it: Spend five minutes doing something you already know will boost your mood.
- Cut yourself some slack - This activity involves walking yourself through three simple steps that allow you to feel some self compassion. First, admit that what you're experiencing is a struggle. Second, acknowledge that you're not the only one who feels -- or has ever felt -- this way. And lastly, determine something you can do right now to make yourself feel better. Focus on self care, even if it's only for a few minutes.
- Give generously - If you consistently offer your skills or time to others, that generosity will come back to you.
- Practice gratitude - Don't overlook your past successes. It's worth reveling in them for a few minutes to build up your energy. You've already done amazing things. Harness that energy to charge onwards to do even more.
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In a volatile and complex world, predicting the future with precision is a risky business. We can be sure, however, about four global mega-trends that are reshaping the environment and influencing business priorities:
First, diversity of markets: Demand is shifting to emerging markets. With their growing middle class, these new markets represent the single biggest growth opportunity in the portfolio of many companies around the world.
Second, diversity of customers: Customer demographics and attitudes are changing. Empowered through technology and with greater choice, an increasingly diverse customer base expects better personalization of products and services.
Third, diversity of ideas: Digital technology, hyper-connectivity, and deregulation are disrupting business value chains and the nature of consumption and competition. Few would argue against the need for rapid innovation.
Fourth, diversity of talent: Shifts in age profiles, education, and migration flows, along with expectations of equality of opportunity and work/life balance, are all impacting employee populations.
Diversity of markets, customers, ideas, and talent: These simultaneous shifts are the new context.
The core aspects of leadership, such as setting direction and influencing others, are timeless, but we see a new capability that is vital to the way leadership is executed. We call this inclusive leadership, and our research has identified six traits that characterize an inclusive mind-set and inclusive behavior.
Four global mega-trends are creating a business context that is far less homogenous and much more diverse than has historically been the case.
- The growth in emerging market economies may have slowed—and big challenges abound—but the long-term potential remains significant.
- Customers have always been able to vote with their feet. Today, this power is even greater. Empowered through their digital devices and with more choice, customers expect greater personalization and a voice in shaping the products and services they consume.
- Organizations must “innovate or die,” extols Bill Gates.13 A bold statement, but we need not look far to see its validity. Seemingly overnight, digital disruption has reshaped whole industries and iconic brands and brought forth new players.
- Diversity of talent is at risk of being overshadowed by other shifts. This is because demographic change has a slow-burn effect on workplace profiles. And, of course, diversity of talent is not a new topic. Anti-discrimination laws and the “war for talent” have seen organizations pay attention to historically marginalized groups for some time.
The six signature traits of an inclusive leader:
- Trait 1: Commitment. Highly inclusive leaders are committed to diversity and inclusion because these objectives align with their personal values and because they believe in the business case.
- Trait 2: Courage. Highly inclusive leaders speak up and challenge the status quo, and they are humble about their strengths and weaknesses.
- Trait 3: Cognizance of bias. Highly inclusive leaders are mindful of personal and organizational blind spots, and self-regulate to help ensure “fair play.”
- Trait 4: Curiosity. Highly inclusive leaders have an open mindset, a desire to understand how others view and experience the world, and a tolerance for ambiguity.
- Trait 5: Culturally intelligent. Highly inclusive leaders are confident and effective in cross-cultural interactions.
- Trait 6: Collaborative. Highly inclusive leaders empower individuals as well as create and leverage the thinking of diverse groups.
The six signature traits of an inclusive leader have important implications for how organizations select and develop leaders. Below, we provide some possible actions to help organizations develop inclusive leadership capabilities and build a culture of inclusion.
Strategic alignment
- Highlight inclusive leadership as a core pillar within the organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy.
- Articulate a compelling narrative as to why inclusive leadership is critical to business success.
- Make symbolic workplace changes to signify the importance of inclusive leadership.
Recruitment
- Ensure that job advertisements emphasize inclusive leadership capabilities and the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Incorporate inclusion into behavioral interview questions.
Capability and competency management
- Integrate inclusive leadership capabilities into the organization’s leadership competency model.
Performance management
- Link KPIs to inclusive behaviors and diversity and inclusion outcomes.
- Ensure that those appointed to senior-level positions embody inclusive leadership or demonstrate a genuine commitment to developing the capability for inclusive leadership.
- Hold leaders to account for noninclusive behaviors.
Rewards and recognition
- Reward leaders who role-model inclusive behaviors.
- Showcase highly inclusive leaders across the organization as well as the benefits derived from their inclusive behavior.
Leadership development
- Formally assess inclusive leadership capabilities across senior leaders and people managers. Identify individual and organizational developmental gaps and create development plans.
- Encourage leaders to seek informal feedback from others on their capability for inclusive leadership.
- Integrate development of the six signature traits of inclusive leadership into leadership development programs.
System integration
- Integrate inclusive leadership into the organization’s global mobility strategy in order to help assess participant readiness and to develop current and future leaders.
- Consider how inclusive leadership fit within the organization’s innovation strategy and processes.
