Curiouser and Curiouser

Often in assessment debriefs, leaders share they have received feedback that they are not strategic enough, but they don't know what to do with that feedback. It feels vague, frustrating, maybe even unfair.

I propose, the answer lies in curiosity.

Strategic leaders operate from a place of deep understanding - of their organization, their people, the forces shaping their environment. And that understanding comes from relentless curiosity.

Strategic leaders ask better questions. They're curious about the undercurrents in their organization, the unspoken concerns, the adjacent problems that might reshape things.

When you're genuinely curious, you:
- Seek out perspectives that challenge your assumptions.
- Notice patterns others miss because you're looking.
- Understand the landscape before you try to change it
- Build influence by understanding what matters to people, not just what matters to you.

So, ask the questions that feel obvious. Talk to people you don't normally talk to. Investigate what's happening three layers down. You can't shape what you haven't bothered to understand.

I think Alice was onto something with that whole curiouser and curiouser thing.

What's one question you've been avoiding asking? What might you discover if you did?