Advantages of Embracing a Curious Mindset

A CMO pulled me aside after a meeting. “What did you think about our junior marketing manager?” she asked. Background: A PE firm brought us in to optimize the company’s marketing. This person’s performance was under review. These conversations can be sensitive. Acquisitions bring pressure to "clean house." But after I acknowledged this person’s relative inexperience, I said: “But that’s okay, because they’ve got something far more valuable: genuine curiosity and sharp critical thinking skills. Those are qualities you can't easily teach.” I explained that in every meeting so far, they showed up prepared with pointed, insightful questions, and thoughtful suggestions for campaign optimization. Most importantly, they were humble, and never pretended to know something they didn’t. “That was super helpful,” the CMO said. “Thank you.” (They’re keeping their job 🤞) Anyway, here’s the takeaway: Intelligence is being commoditized by AI. Knowledge has never been more easily accessible. You can get Deep Research to generate a 30-page report about something you know nothing about. Then you can use AI to dig deeper and quiz you until you really understand it. That means what matters more than ever is: the humility to acknowledge what you don’t know, the desire to fill that gap because you love learning new things, and the agency or will power to keep pushing even when the going gets tough. And naturally, the ability to critically assess if the information you’re ingesting is accurate and useful or not. Bottom line: I’d rather hire the young, hungry candidate full of gumption vs. the know-it-all who refuses to update their knowledge and pushes back against constructive criticism. And I predict that it’s only a matter of time until EVERY employer feels the same.

The "beginner's mindset" saved my business. When you're constantly learning, you're constantly growing. I noticed something about the most successful leaders I've worked with: They ask questions even when they "should" know the answers. They admit what they don't understand. They approach problems with curiosity, not certainty. It's counterintuitive: The more expertise you gain, the more important it becomes to think like a beginner. Because expertise creates blind spots… Certainty kills innovation. But curiosity? It keeps you adaptable. What assumptions in your business might benefit from a fresh perspective?

Solid wisdom here for us studio/prodco leaders... Context: today I was spot checking my latest episode of The Fabulist featuring fab guest Kevin Rapp... and I ended up listening to the entire episode all over again. In detail. I even took notes. Here's the wisdom bomb: Embrace the power of *curiosity* as a creative leader. Curiosity can unlock innovative solutions and deepen client relationships in surprising ways. Hear me out... We creatives dread looking uninformed or unsophisticated, like we don't have all the answers. So we pose. Kevin suggests rather than striking a pose, flip the script: ↳ Ask your client questions, don't assume. Approach challenges with a mindset eager to explore, not to showboat or look smart. ↳ Embrace vulnerability. Admitting you don't have all the answers fosters trust with your client. ↳ When the time comes to start exploring creative solutions with your client, don't pitch concepts! Instead, present "hypotheses." (Oh man, this is one I wish I could go back and teach my younger self) ↳ Test and iterate. Small, curious steps is the smarter path to prove which hypothesis was the right one. Many more gems in the episode, but this one really jumped out at me as being share worthy. 🙏

I think the proverb “Curiosity Killed the Cat” is just plain dumb! No great advancement in the history of the world ever happened because someone already knew the answer.   As a marketing consultant, I’ve seen first-hand how progressive leaders achieve significant bottom-line growth for their companies BECAUSE they’re driven by curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.   When you’re sitting on the client side of the desk, are you motivated by a sales person who:   𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 #1:   Confidently assures you they have a solution to solve a major problem your company is tackling.   𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 #2:   Asks thoughtful questions to gain an understanding of your business, your priorities, your needs and wants, and, how they might potentially be of help.   It makes sense that you want a productive exchange. And that means being “heard”. That’s why I think option #2 is so much more powerful. While we may want to “buy” no one wants to be “sold”.   𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 4 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨:   First, it’s much more important to a company’s performance than previously thought because cultivating it at all levels helps leaders and their teams adapt to uncertain market conditions.   Second, when curiosity is triggered, we think more deeply about decisions and come up with more creative solutions.   Third, curiosity garners more respect for leaders from their employees when they admit they don’t have all the answers.   And finally, it inspires more collaborative and long-term relationships with customers.   Specifically, as it relates to customers, thoughtful questions and active listening arms your company with the actionable insights needed to drive bottom line results.   Why?   Because the winning formula is always about focusing on what your customers want and not want you want them to want!   Infographic: aron pradham   Ring the 🔔 on my profile to follow Linda Goodman for marketing strategy and business development content.   #MarketingStrategy #Sales #BusinessDevelopment #CEO #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #EmotionTriggerResearch #EmotionalIntelligence

"I don't know" used to terrify me. As a clinical researcher, I felt pressure to have all the answers. But here's what I've learned: Admitting uncertainty → opens doors to discovery. It's not about being right. It's about being curious. Ken Robinson said it best: "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." This mindset shift transformed my approach: • Ask more questions • Embrace the unknown • Collaborate with diverse minds • Test unconventional ideas Result? Breakthroughs we never imagined. In your work, how do you harness the power of "I don't know"? Let's build a culture where curiosity trumps certainty. Where doing it 'wrong' leads us to what's right. #CuriosityDriven #ResearchInnovation #Hardwork #Productivity #Patience