Curiosity: The Superpower of Change

Change is constant, right? It’s everywhere, and the way we handle it can make or break us as leaders. Over the years, I’ve realized something—curiosity isn’t just a nice trait to have, it’s a superpower. It’s what helps us drive innovation, adapt quickly, and, honestly, stay resilient when things get messy.

I was speaking about Change OS at a gathering of CEOs and business owners in Dallas last week. During a roundtable, someone brought up curiosity. They said, “You mentioned that curiosity is a superpower for change.” It kind of stopped the conversation. It got everyone thinking, including me. That’s because curiosity is a tool for asking?the right questions. It pushes us to see things from new angles and find opportunities even when it feels like we’re up against a wall.

Asking Better Questions

When things aren’t going well, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just pushing harder—keep doing what we know. But honestly, that rarely works. The real breakthroughs happen when we pause and start asking better questions. What are we missing? What else is out there? Curiosity helps prevent snap judgments and poor assumptions. It is a tendency to explore, rather than try to control everything.

And as leaders, we need to encourage this in our teams. We want them asking questions. We want them looking for new ways to solve problems. We need to create a culture that challenges old assumptions. It’s how we stay agile and creative, especially when the pressure’s on.

Curiosity Evolves as You Lead

Here’s the thing: As you move through different stages of leadership, your relationship with curiosity changes. Early in your career, you don’t always know what questions to ask. You haven’t been through enough yet. As you gain experience, you start to understand that setbacks are opportunities. You realize that asking, Why didn’t this work? or How can we improve? will help you actually get better.

Without curiosity, you’re stuck. With it, you unlock possibilities you didn’t even know were there.

Leaning Into Curiosity

Some people are naturally curious. They’re always wondering, and exploring, and that’s great—but curiosity is also something you can develop. When you lean into it with intention, it becomes a real strategy. You don’t just ask questions for the sake of it—you ask the right ones.

For example, a company may want to grow from $10 million to $20 million in revenue. Working with their leaders, I always ask, What’s going to be true at $20 million that isn’t true today? Leaders who succeed don’t stop at the surface—they dig deeper. They explore what’s possible and what needs to change to get there. We can develop curiosity by asking more questions.

The One Question Every Leader Should Ask

If there’s one question I wish more leaders would ask when navigating change, it’s this: What will success actually look like when we get there? It’s simple, but powerful. You must be able to visualize it. How will it feel? What’s different? What obstacles will we have overcome?

That kind of clarity helps you reverse-engineer the steps to success. It all starts with curiosity.

Thanks for being part of The Leader’s Blueprint. I’ll be back soon with more stories and insights to help you navigate the complex world of leadership and change. Until then, don’t shy away from curiosity—it’s not just a nice trait, it’s a superpower.

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