From the course: Transformational Leadership

How curiosity breeds innovation

From the course: Transformational Leadership

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How curiosity breeds innovation

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- As a transformational leader, your role is not to come up with the best ideas but to ignite the culture that creates new ideas. Your own curiosity encourages others to bring their best ideas to the team. You encourage open debate about the best solutions, even if they're not your ideas. And you do this because, for you, what's more important is the difference you want to make, the change you want to drive rather than where the best ideas come from. In this culture, people feel commitment and ownership to their shared goals. Curiosity doesn't require genius. It's simply a practice of openness to new experiences and learning from others. Research shows that curiosity has important benefits. It results not only in more innovation but also in more open communication, team trust, and performance. So what stops us from being curious? Here are some mindsets that prevent curiosity. You already believe you have the best solution. Why ask someone else? You think that asking questions may make you look dumb. You want to find the most efficient answer, and exploring with others takes time. You think letting everyone express their ideas can create a lot of conflict and messiness. You want to control the outcome of decision. Take a minute to notice which ones of these hold you back. To get the best thinking and ideas on the table, we practice new mindsets, so we ourselves can role model curiosity and impact the culture in our teams. Here are some of the mindsets to cultivate. Each person has something powerful to offer because they bring a unique perspective. Asking questions and listening actively to others helps me be smarter. When we're open to different ideas, people contribute more. Asking good questions is as important as having the best answers. Exploring new possibilities creates the best solutions, even if it's not the most efficient. We get better decisions and buy-in when we consider different perspectives. Imagine what could be possible if you brought these mindsets that influence others to help you in your vision for change.

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