Why Curiosity Should Be Our Best Virtue

by SelectionF partner, Mie Krog

We all know the feeling—being in a meeting or at work, recognizing a challenge and swiftly moving towards the solution, almost too eager for the next problem to be fixed.

Second-guessing ourselves, our coworkers, our board members, the situation, the problem—looking for alternatives—often gets rushed or set aside because we don't give ourselves enough time. Time to think or consider alternatives. Time to ponder, time to ask, and involve those around us can be a challenge in a busy world.

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Navigating Strategic Challenges

The future seems to rush faster and faster to meet the present, including in the boardroom.

New strategic challenges need addressing—AI, cybersecurity, geopolitical matters, biodiversity, circularity, Scope 1-3 emissions, generational divides, potential staff shortages, and much more. These challenges are manifold, and many of them have not been successfully tackled before. We have few lessons to draw from, and we need to be truly innovative. This is precisely why curiosity is crucial and involving others in collaborative problem-solving is essential.

What if we looked at this from another angle? What if we allowed ourselves to think outside the box? What if we planned this from the bottom up instead of top-down? What if we brought in a different perspective or new competencies? This is exactly where the value of diversity in leadership and management lies.

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Encouraging Curiosity in Leadership

Too often, however, it seems we avoid going the extra mile—engaging with our colleagues and peers to question current best practices.

When it comes to recruiting for top management, however, this is exactly what we need to do. We need to question current best practices, roles, and profiles—in our roles as executives, board members, and chairs. We need to challenge and propose alternatives to current thinking. We need to encourage curiosity about new talent pools, competencies, ways of working, and problem-solving because it matters.

There is great power and influence in joining a board, and it's crucial we use it for exactly this purpose.

Personally, this has been a matter of interest for me over the past years. I have deliberately asked questions like: "Considering the world and its problems, what positive impact or contribution can we make with this business?" "How do we need to transform the business and its operations to have a positive influence?" "Who on the team can help us succeed with this?" "What new competencies do we need to add to the team?"

To me, these are the questions we should be asking when recruiting for boards and top management. We should seek talent that can help us become better at solving tomorrow's problems.

Support from SelectionF

As members of SelectionF, you are all pushing boundaries. You have a unique opportunity to shape and position your contribution to the boards of the future.

Perhaps you should be curious about what will make you even more future-proof as a board candidate. Perhaps the summer break is the pause that will allow you to be curious about the future impact you want to make. Maybe your summer break could be used to further strengthen and refine your board CV and how you can help solve tomorrow's problems and challenges.

At SelectionF, we look forward to continuing to support you on this journey—whether in Denmark, Sweden, or Norway. We have a strong team in place, an exciting event program lined up for the fall, and new partners joining us—all aimed at preparing you for future-ready board work.

Wherever the summer break takes you, hopefully, it will give you time to be curious and consider how you can and should evolve as a future board candidate.

We all need it!

Personally, these are some of the questions and thoughts I look forward to pondering during my summer hikes.

Enjoy your summer! ??

Mie Krog, founding partner SelectionF