Lead With IntentSample

8. Principle - Practice - Impact on Culture

Innovation - Curiosity - Learning and Progress

If leaders really care about their team and care about their customers, they will need to improve things that will benefit their teams and customers. It is wise of a leader to look for better ways to serve employees and customers continually, and these kinds of leaders are respected (Proverbs 12:8). We cannot stay stuck in our ways and accept that things will improve on their own. The best way for leaders to keep innovating is through the continuous cultivation of curiosity. The best leaders I have worked with have questions that they consistently ask to keep probing for better, more effective ways to serve employees and customers. Once you stop asking questions, you are in your comfort zone.

Many references in the Bible warn against curiosity, but that points more to nosiness rather than a positive curiosity which is inquisitiveness. The most inquisitive creature on the planet is a small child. If you have had the privilege of being a parent, you would know what I am talking about, and their favorite question is: "Why?" Jesus challenges us in Mark 10: 14 with these words: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Kids are curious; they ask and wonder. As leaders, we must never stop wondering. In our work with corporates, we have seen that consistent learning and sustainable progress are inculcated into the business once curiosity becomes a practice.