Why Curious Teams Are a Competitive Advantage

Right now, market uncertainty, scattershot federal policy, and geopolitical churn can make strategic planning feel like an impossible task. Yet it's exactly at times like these when the savviest brand leaders, companies, and nonprofits spend time preparing multiple scenarios for the road ahead. They'll be the ones who'll win out in the long run. But again, the plannnnninnnngggg. It's so hard.

So, what does it take to tackle this seemingly complex and daunting task? In our experience, just one thing: curiosity.

But if there's such a strong business case for curiosity, why don't more leaders take steps to embrace it in the workplace? The answer, we've found, is that people don't recognize curiosity in action when they see it. And, in turn, they can't point to how it delivers tangible benefits in the workplace every day.

For us, there's no doubt curious teams are a competitive advantage – especially in dynamic times. They brainstorm better and surface more original, breakthrough ideas; they share freely, seek out information from one another, and lean into calculated risks; they encourage a diversity of opinions and help identify blind spots. They focus broadly on learning instead myopically checking off tasks, watching a clock or solely pursuing the transactional. In short, they push us forward.

Have we convinced you yet? If you're feeling like curiosity is something you want to champion and foster in the workplace, here are three tips that you can start using TODAY:

1 - Ask Questions Every Day & Get to Know Your Colleagues

If you're participating in new-hire interviews, take your conversations another layer deeper by asking people to explain how they explore new topics, locate the resources they need or find answers to complex challenges. What are they reading to stay in the know? What sticks in their mind as a recent cautionary tale from the field?

By the way, getting better at asking deeper questions can also help you get to know your team better, too. Take lunch breaks with a colleague. Ask about more than just work projects or what someone did over the weekend. Find out what they're most passionate about. Are they trying to get better at something or learn a new skill? Simply asking a few better-than-usual questions can reveal a whole lot about a person and what drives them forward.

2 - Encourage 'Why' and 'What If' Thinking

If no one is asking questions in meetings, that's a red flag. It could mean that they're afraid of being ignored or diminished. If leaders approach complex challenges or uncharted territory with curiosity and openness rather than fear and judgment, teams will feel more comfortable with thinking through solutions, from the basic and functional to the wholly unorthodox but brilliant. When Team Bond works with new client-side teams or facilitates brainstorm sessions, we always remind people that we want to hear their "craziest" ideas.

3 - Model Life-long Learning

Harvard Business Review reported way back in 2018 that "framing work around learning goals (developing competence, acquiring skills, mastering new situations, and so on) rather than performance goals (hitting targets, proving our competence, impressing others) boosts motivation." Leaders can model this by talking openly about what they're learning each quarter; and they can further their commitment by establishing in-house mentorship programs or peer-to-peer lunchtime learning academies. (Bond has helped companies of all sizes launch these, so let us know if you need a hand!)