Curiosity is all the difference. The difference between "What's available?" and "What's possible?" People can be successful by doing what they're asked or by following the instructions as written. There may be very few cases where following all the expectations led directly to invention and ingenuity. Doing something new requires curiosity. Whether it is new to you, or new to someone else, accepting the 'new thing' requires an openness and interest to the novelty. Effective leaders utilize curiosity on a regular basis. What if we changed this process? What if this individual contributor was challenged to facilitate a team? What if my bright idea isn't as brilliant as I think it is? 1. Curiosity is critical for motivation, innovation, and avoiding stagnation. Leaders lacking curiosity are seen as automatons who maintain the status quo without inspiring their teams. 2. Curiosity is an ongoing journey for effective leaders. It facilitates continuous learning and adaptation, acknowledging that leadership styles and practices evolve. 3. The absence of curiosity in leaders often results in chaos and reactive management as they fail to explore possibilities and consider the broader picture. While they say curiosity killed the cat, we're not cats and if we were, we've got sweet reflexes and nine lives. The No More Leadership BS team strongly advocates for curiosity. Curiosity isn't to be used as a tool to avoid making decisions, but a method to explore what we think we think about a situation or set of circumstances. As you listen to this episode consider two questions: 1) what is a recent situation where more curiosity would have been better and 2) how can you improve your approach to leadership by ramping up your curiosity just a bit?