Curiosity is a Leadership Skill

“How did you get where you are?” It’s a question I have often heard over the course of my career – especially once I became a vice president. There are many ways to answer such a question and a helpful answer depends on what the questioner really wants to explore. Some questions are about credentials. Some are about experiences. Other questions are about decisions made or jobs taken. But regardless of the specific question, there’s one answer I have given more often than others. “Be a student of your organization.”

Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash

Being a student

• Who’s the president of your University? What is their field of study?
• Who’s the provost? What is a provost?
• How many vice presidents are there on your campus? Can you name them?
• How many colleges and schools are there on your campus? What are they? Can you name the deans?

These are just a few questions on the pop quiz I once gave to a leadership group on my campus. It seemed to me that people with titles such as assistant vice president or director or even assistant and associate director should be able to answer such questions about their own campus. It’s embarrassing to be introduced to someone at a campus reception and ask, “And what do you do?” only to find out you’re talking to the provost. Maybe if you work on a large campus, you can’t name all eighteen deans, but certainly one should know the largest colleges.

Of course, this is only the beginning of the list of items to know about your campus. There are more people to know. There are processes to understand. Understanding campus history can help you comprehend something about current events. Taking the time to delve into the workings of your campus aids you in accomplishing your tasks. Being curious about your organization is part of being successful in your efforts which is part of being seen as a leader.

I’m curious about everything. Even subjects that don’t interest me.

Alex Trebeck

I love this quote. It’s important to be widely curious about your organization. Even the parts that don’t interest you. You never know when you’ll be on a committee and need to understand an element of the university that is outside your usual course of business. When you are curious about the larger organization, you have a better sense of how your work fits into the whole. When you have a good sense of how your work affects others, you can make better decisions. Good work, good decisions, understanding the results of your actions, these are beginnings of leadership. And it all starts with being curious about your organization.