Start with Curiosity
Widening your perspective is the first step towards finding clarity, deeper understanding and ultimately better outcomes.
Lead with care, curiosity, clarity and courage. Build connection.
Lead with care, curiosity, clarity and courage. Build connection.
Contempt to Curiosity
We all face familiar challenges - disconnection, tension in relationships, unspoken conflict, unclear decisions, the struggle to give or receive honest feedback and difficulty sharing our ideas. Sometimes we hold back, unsure how we’ll be received or what might unfold.
These moments can feel uncomfortable, challenging our confidence and patience and yet, they are also moments that offer us something more.
When we meet discomfort with curiosity instead of resistance, something shifts. We open the door to new perspectives, deeper clarity and more meaningful conversations.
What might change if you leaned into these moments with openness and intention?
Challenges we face and how we move through them
Disengagement
In a world that’s moving faster than ever, where individuals are often focused on pursuing their own goals, it’s easy to overlook the importance of genuine connection. Too often, we miss the chance to engage with one another in thoughtful, supportive ways that build trust and inspire collaboration. As a result, we’re increasingly seeing the effects of people feeling disconnected, disengaged, and lacking a sense of purpose.
Care
Deep care is the foundation for building relationships, for connecting people and purpose and for making sure that we make a difference in this world. The more we care about the people, the outcome, the journey, the choices and consequences, the more we can invite change and influence others towards the greater good.
This is the starting point and it requires that we care for ourselves in tandem to this, for we cannot give what we do not have. To feel deep care, we need to be mindful of our purpose, the outcome we are seeking and the impact we are having on others.
Poor decision-making
We’re surrounded by more information than at any point in history, yet that abundance can be overwhelming. The pressure to make smart, timely decisions is high, but the data is often complex, unclear, or unreliable. With limited time and mental bandwidth, people struggle to sift through the noise, assess what matters, and gain the insights they need. This often results in delayed action, poor choices, and missed opportunities for progress.
Clarity
Conversations with others open all sorts of possibilities, which can bring an ever-expanding number of options to consider as we move forward in our lives.
In order for us to navigate this and make effective decisions, we need to refine the options and clarify exactly what the goal is, what needs to be done, what the next steps are, who else that involves, and by when, in order for us to achieve the one thing that will move us toward this goal. Having clarity on the why, the how and the what is essential in keeping everyone engaged, aligned and secure in their quest.
Conflict
We live in a time of constant change, and it can often feel like we’re surrounded by conflict, whether with others, the world around us, or even within ourselves. When conflict is seen as purely destructive, it tends to trigger protective responses like fight, flight, freeze, or appease, reactions that often intensify the very tensions we’re trying to escape. Yet conflict, while challenging, is also a natural part of human interaction. When acknowledged and approached with curiosity, it can become a powerful opportunity for deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and meaningful growth.
Curiosity
Being curious and having curiosity is a skill, a state of mind, and a way of being that extends our understanding, our perspectives, our creativity and our development as we explore others, or other subjects and then listen in with fascination.
This undoubtedly opens the way for deeper connections and expansive possibilities in the way we view the world and the options within it. Gaining clarity, alignment and engagement from others and exploring what is at stake, requires us to constantly operate from a place of curiosity.
Difficulty sharing
In an age flooded with information, it’s harder than ever to express ourselves in ways that truly resonate, especially when it comes to giving or receiving feedback. Messages can be unclear, misinterpreted, or overlooked entirely, often leaving people confused or on the defensive. Whether we’re sharing insights, offering support, or trying to help someone grow, the meaning can easily slip through the cracks, especially in remote environments. Without the space or skill for honest, well-framed conversations, relationships suffer and progress stalls.
Courage
This is a key ingredient that takes us beyond the idea of something and into the heart of it. Many great endeavors, relationships, businesses, ventures, interactions and conversations are interrupted, stalled or indeed undone by a lack of courage.
Courage to do the right thing, have the difficult conversation, stretch out of the comfort zone or embrace vulnerability, is often what stands between good and truly great. Being courageous opens pathways and is the magic ingredient in having the ability to choose your response and spiral up.
It always seems impossible until it’s done…
– Nelson Mandela
