Curiosity Is the Career and Leadership Strategy We Need Right Now
When everything goes sideways, most leaders double down on control. The best ones get curious instead.
Years ago, I took a business trip to Iquitos, Peru, a bustling city deep in the Amazon that you can only reach by plane or boat.
It was unlike anywhere I'd ever been. The heat was intense, the humidity unrelenting, and the food unforgettable. My meetings? Let's just say they didn't always start on time.
But what stood out most were the rickshaw-like mototaxis weaving through traffic. I even had the chance to ride in one, laughing with my driver as we traveled from one meeting to the next.
Things rarely went as planned in Iquitos. And yet, instead of frustration, I chose curiosity. I asked questions, tried new foods, and connected with new people. Those small choices turned potential challenges into opportunities and made the trip truly memorable.
That experience taught me something profound: the moment we choose curiosity over frustration, everything changes.
The Crisis of Certainty
Here's what I see happening right now in organizations everywhere:
We are paralyzed by uncertainty. Teams are burning out from constant pivots. Professionals are stuck applying the same strategies that worked five years ago to problems that didn't exist five years ago.
We're living through what researchers call "permanent beta" a state where the rules keep changing faster than we can learn them. The old career search and leadership playbooks assumed we could predict, plan, and control our way to success.
That playbook is obsolete.
Companies pivoting successfully during uncertainty share one trait: they lead with experimentation, not expertise. Translation: they get curious instead of certain.
Why Curiosity Beats Expertise Every Time
Think about the last time you were completely stuck at work. What got you unstuck?
I'm willing to bet it wasn't doubling down on what you already knew. It was asking a different question, talking to someone new, or trying an approach that felt slightly uncomfortable.
Curiosity is intelligence in action. It's what happens when we admit we don't have all the answers and get excited about finding them.
Here's what curiosity does that expertise can't:
Curiosity reveals blind spots. When we think we know the answer, we stop looking for better questions. Curious leaders ask "What am I missing?" instead of "How do I convince others I'm right?"
Curiosity builds connection. People don't follow leaders because they have all the answers. They follow leaders who care enough to understand the problem deeply and include others in solving it.
Curiosity creates resilience. When Plan A fails, experts often panic. Curious leaders think, "Interesting. What can we learn from this?"
The Career Landscape Has Changed (Have You?)
That same mindset is exactly what today's career and leadership landscape demands.
The old advice isn't working anymore:
❌ Submitting hundreds of applications (average response rate: 2%)
❌ Chasing AI-generated resumes that sound like everyone else's
❌ Running endlessly on the "hustle" treadmill until you burn out
What is working?
✨ Building genuine community and shared opportunities
✨ Getting curious about unconventional paths
✨ Leading with questions instead of answers
Frustration is easy. Curiosity takes courage.
But curiosity also opens doors we might otherwise miss entirely.
The Curiosity Advantage: A Framework
Imagine a person who feels stuck in their role. Sound familiar?
Instead of updating their resume (the old playbook), what if they tried something different? What if they got curious?
Week 1: This person started asking different questions. Instead of "Why won't leadership give me resources?" they asked, "What problems is leadership trying to solve that I don't fully understand?"
Week 2: This person scheduled informal conversations with three executives, not to pitch ideas, but to understand the challenges facing the executives.
Week 3: They discovered that the company was struggling with customer retention in a way that directly connected to their expertise.
Week 4: They proposed a pilot program addressing that retention challenge.
Result: They didn't just keep their job, they got promoted to lead a cross-functional team solving the company's biggest revenue challenge.
The difference? Our example person led with curiosity instead of certainty.
A Curiosity Exercise You Can Try This Week
Here's a simple activity to help you practice curiosity in your work and career:
The "Curiosity Swap"
Step 1: Think of one recurring situation that usually frustrates you (a delayed meeting, a difficult colleague, a slow job search, a budget cut).
Step 2: Instead of reacting with irritation, pause and ask: What can I learn here? What haven't I noticed before?
Step 3: Write down three questions you could ask, either of yourself or others, in that moment.
Examples:
"What else might be going on behind this delay?"
"What need is this person trying to meet that I haven't recognized?"
"Who could I connect with that I haven't thought of before?"
"What would someone completely outside my industry do here?"
Step 4: Act on at least one of those questions this week.
The goal isn't to have all the answers. It's to get better at asking questions that matter.
Take It Further
The Path Forward: Community + Curiosity
Here's what I've learned from working with leaders and professionals:
Individual curiosity is powerful. Collective curiosity is transformative.
The leaders who are thriving right now aren't just getting curious, they're building cultures and communities where curiosity is the norm, not the exception.
They're asking better questions together. They're sharing opportunities instead of hoarding them. They're experimenting with new approaches and learning from each other's failures and successes.
This is the future of leadership and career development.
Introducing The Clarity Lab
That's exactly why I created The Clarity Lab, an affordable space where motivated leaders and professionals come together to experiment, connect, and build new paths forward.
This isn't another networking group or mastermind. It's a laboratory for curiosity.
Here's what members experience:
Twice-monthly live sessions where we tackle real challenges using curiosity-based frameworks. No generic advice…we work on the specific situations you're facing right now.
An online community with facilitated conversations designed to keep momentum between meetings. Think of it as having a team of strategic thinking partners available 24/7.
Accountability partnerships: Every member connects with 1-2 peers each month outside our group sessions for deeper support and follow-through.
Access to proven frameworks like the Curiosity Swap, the Opportunity Audit, and the Connection Canvas, tools you can use immediately to create different outcomes.
Instead of more noise, you finally have a place to test ideas, find genuine support, and build new opportunities with people who get it.
Is This Right for You?
The Clarity Lab is designed for professionals and leaders who:
Feel stuck using strategies that used to work but don't anymore
Want to build genuine connections instead of transactional networking
Are curious about new approaches, but don't want to figure it out alone
Believe that collective wisdom beats individual struggle
The first cohort is forming now, and spots are intentionally limited to maintain the quality of connection and conversation.
If you're curious about whether this could be the shift you've been looking for, here's your next step:[Book a free 30-minute Clarity Call ]
We'll explore your current challenges, discuss what's possible, and see if The Clarity Lab is the right fit for your goals.
No sales pitch. Just a curious conversation about your path forward.
The world doesn't need more leaders with all the answers. It needs more leaders brave enough to ask better questions.
Let's chart that new path forward…together.
What's one question you've been avoiding that might change everything if you finally asked it?
