Think Leaders Need All the Answers? Think Again.

Shows flexibility and comfort with ambiguity and change.

Pursues original, creative, and experimental ideas. 

Adjusts behavior to suit different situations.   

Unrestricted by rules and prepared to take risks.

Models lifelong learning and embraces data-driven decision-making. 

Remains calm and decisive during important events. 

01

Better problem-solving.

Curious leaders approach problems with an open mind. Instead of rushing to apply familiar solutions, they dig deeper into root causes and bring unconventional ideas to old problems. They ask probing questions, explore multiple angles, and connect seemingly unrelated ideas. They are comfortable with ambiguity and exploring unfamiliar terrain. And they encourage others to share their thoughts. By including collaborators at all levels, they broaden their problem-solving toolkit and foster an environment where creative or unconventional solutions can flourish. 

02

Better decisions.  

Curious leaders are less likely to fall into the trap of confirmation bias or make decisions based on outdated information. Instead, they actively seek out information that challenges their assumptions. This constant quest for knowledge ensures they consider a wide range of data and perspectives before making decisions—and help ensure they are able to consider wider implications and potential ripple effects, which results in more informed, balanced, and far-sighted decisions. 

03

More successful transformations.

Curious leaders’ desire to learn and understand new concepts makes them more receptive to change. They are able to confidently pivot strategies, embrace new technologies, and lead their teams through periods of transformation with confidence and enthusiasm. They avoid the trap of driving change for change's sake, and instead ensure transformation efforts are grounded in the company’s core strategy and long-term goals.  

04

Stronger relationships.

Curiosity fosters genuine interest in others, leading to deeper, more meaningful relationships. Curious leaders ask thoughtful questions, listen attentively, and seek to understand different perspectives. This approach not only builds trust and respect but also creates a more inclusive environment where diverse ideas are valued. Curious leaders are also excellent collaborators. They are willing to bring the right people into the room to solve thorny problems—including other functions, other industries, or even competitors.  

05

Continuous growth.

Curiosity is a key driver of personal development. Curious leaders are most likely to push out of their comfort zone, stay loose in the knees, and remain flexible. They seek out learning opportunities, whether it's exploring their industry, emerging technologies, or soft skills. This commitment to lifelong learning keeps their skills sharp, their knowledge current, and their leadership style evolving. As a result, they remain relevant and effective, even as the demands of their role change over time.  

Start with self. The best leaders are voracious consumers of data and are constantly finding ways to create space in their schedules to stay curious outside the 'day to day' of their roles. They convert their self-awareness into 'self-knowledge'—the ability to adjust their behaviors and their rituals to take into account when they are in positive or negative situations. They know what triggers their stress and energy depletion and have mechanisms for recovery (both physical and mental) that they apply consistently.  

Strong networks. Leaders need broad and rich networks—inside and outside of their organization, and at multiple levels. The best leaders are very connected, hearing 360-degree inputs from employees levels down, their peers, and a wide range of external sources. These insights are not only critical to ongoing self-awareness and development—they also help leaders to filter each new instinct through a trusted set of colleagues and team members who will challenge and even redirect to get the optimal outcome.  

Intentional inclusion. Great leaders assertively pull perspectives from everywhere into their decision making processes. No matter how expansive or fast thinking a leader may be, their pattern recognition will be improved if they actively get other brains on the challenge and resist the temptation to go it alone. Every leader needs a 'kitchen cabinet' to help them hear the truth and make the right decisions. Nothing is more true than the adage that the senior leader doesn’t hear the unvarnished truth enough—so great leaders seek it out. 

The power of stories. As leaders own their development journeys and prioritize moments of reflection, stories can be an especially effective way of demonstrating authenticity and vulnerability. Some leaders are natural storytellers, but they need to make sure their stories don’t sound too slick or superficial. Other leaders struggle with opening up and sharing—requiring structure, practice and feedback to hone a few stories that can make an impact. 

Ramon Laguarta
CEO PepsiCo

PepsiCo’s Ramon Laguarta focuses on making sure he creates a space for others to tell him what they really think. “It’s one of the most important things you can do as CEO and something I focus on every day.”

He adopted this mindset even before becoming CEO, as he progressed during the selection process, and had time to reflect on the things that he wanted to do when he took to the helm.  

“I thought the company had become too focused on margins, so I wanted us to pivot to growth,” he said. “Secondly, I wanted to drive a big cultural shift to make the company more entrepreneurial and more transparent. And finally, I wanted to accelerate our digitalization and environmental transformation efforts.”