About a month ago (June 16) I posted some musings on where work was headed from author, coach and friend Alan Berson who is currently thinking in overdrive as he and Lesley look around at the havoc being wrought in their Washington DC base (see Steve Earle’s thoughts on that in my June 24 post).

Leadership is being rethought given what we’ve all been through recently – and what lies ahead.  Alan makes a case for Curiosity to be one of the go-forward skills/attributes leaders will need.  Here’s his nine point plan …

The a priori requirement for leadership is Curiosity, which is the wellspring from which optimum results bubble up. Curiosity drives improvement in all VUCA skills.

What does it take to be curious or to exhibit curiosity as a leader?

1)        Be Open – this means be willing to change your mind even if you ultimately stay the course.

2)        Be Humble – no matter how smart or worldly you are, there is something critical to be learned from others.

3)        Put on your Curious Face – the answers will be better than if you look challenging or scowling.

4)        Ask Open Ended Questions – pretend you do not know the answer because you probably do not know the best one.

5)        Listen and Repeat what you heard – don’t apply your own filters or try to jump in with an answer. Doing so shows that rather than listening, you are arguing or showboating.

6)        Listen for Facts – they are more useful and interesting than opinions.

7)        Ask Follow-on, Probing Questions – go for the gold mine, not just the gold nugget.

8)        Look for Alternatives and pick the best elements of each one.

9)        Say Thank You and Give Credit where it is due to maintain critical information flow. 

Thank you Alan, very thoughtful and helpful (No. 9 in action!).

KR