DAY 4: Lead with Curiosity for Learning and Growth
This is part of the certificate course, Leading Teams and Change: Advanced Management Development
Overview
The Day 4 module focuses on curiosity as a leadership skill that drives learning, innovation, and adaptability. Participants explore research and insights from the instructor’s book, Into the Hands of Leaders: Employee Growth through Learning, reflecting on how curiosity shapes decision-making, team culture, and their leadership approach.
Participants identify common barriers to curiosity, such as fear, time pressure, or rigid norms, and discuss strategies for fostering open, inquiry-based environments where questions are welcomed. Using a self-assessment, participants explore their personal curiosity and examine how to shift from a fixed to a learning mindset.
The session concludes with techniques to nurture curiosity in others through powerful questioning, real-world learning, and role modeling. Participants develop action plans to bring curiosity into team meetings, problem-solving, and everyday leadership practices.
This module includes
Facilitated session (4 hours)
Unit 10 – Curiosity: Drive innovation and growth (80 minutes)
- Examine the role of curiosity as a driver of innovation, problem-solving, and adaptability in leadership.
- Explore research on curiosity and its impact on learning, engagement, and team culture, using insights from the instructor’s book, Into the Hands of Leaders: Employee Growth through Learning.
- Assess personal curiosity levels through a self-assessment and reflect on how curiosity influences leadership and decision-making.
Unit 11 – Curiosity: Your Curiosity (80 minutes)
- Identify the common barriers that suppress curiosity in individuals and teams, such as fear of failure, time constraints, and rigid organizational cultures.
- Discuss strategies for fostering an open and inquiry-based workplace where questioning and exploration are encouraged.
- Apply techniques to shift from a fixed to a learning mindset, helping teams embrace uncertainty and challenge assumptions.
Unit 12 – Curiosity in Others (80 minutes)
- Recognize the different types of curiosity (e.g., joyous exploration, social curiosity, epistemic curiosity) and how they manifest in leadership and team dynamics.
- Develop strategies to cultivate curiosity in others, using role modeling, powerful questioning, and real-world learning experiences.
- Commit to an action plan to integrate curiosity-driven leadership practices into team meetings, problem-solving, and innovation efforts.
Virtual facilitated activities (90 minutes each)
- Facilitated discussion on encouraging curiosity in others
- Facilitated discussion on progress with commitments