High Performance Leadership

Do you like a good argument? Do you get excited with the adrenalin rush of proving someone wrong? I do. Except...it doesn't work that way. Do you ever really prove someone wrong with an argument? Work isn't after all debate club. No one has to cede to your cogent, meaty, precious points. Few people are persuaded by hefty logic or prolific pronouncements. They tend to turn away instead. What works better is curiosity. What is more influential is staying open to the thinking and processing of others. They might be wrong, of course. But, what if they are correct? What if at least PART of what they're saying is logical and practical? Gasp! Stranger things have happened. Stranger things indeed. Stay curious. There's mysterious, undeniable, unbreakable power in it. Curiosity is more powerful than rhetoric, dogma, or unquestioned truth. -- doug smith

Do you remember how it felt to be a young child filled with curiosity? I probably forgot until I became a parent and saw how curious my own children were. Everything was something to be explored and discovered. And then, when I became a grandfather, I felt a curiosity recharge as it surrounded me with the enthusiasm of young children. Curiosity is powerful. It opens up possibilities. It wards off our inner judge long enough to truly explore, without bias, what's going on. When we can keep that level of curiosity alive we learn, we grow, we discover. Stay curious. Curiosity is more powerful than rhetoric, dogma, or unquestioned truth. Stay curious. -- doug smith

Do you have all the answers? Probably not. Let me go out on a limb here -- neither you nor I have ALL the answers. Even when we think we do. High performance leaders DO have a lot of confidence. It's easy for us to assert our will and believe we know exactly what we're talking about. And, maybe we do. But even then -- even then -- we can learn. Even when we KNOW the answer for sure, guess what? There are other answers. Other people's views. Other perspectives. And they matter when it comes to leading people. And even when we think we do have all the answers, how permanent are those answers? What could possibly change that will change our views, our needs, our responses? We don't know what is going to change, but something is. Count on it. So let go of pretending that you know all the answers and I will, too. Get the views of others. Get the cool ideas into the mix. The possibilities will expand! -- Doug Smith

photo of Rusty by Judi Madigan How curious are you? In my workshops on communication and achieving your goals I point out how important it is to listen with curiosity. We are most attentive when we are most curious. Instead of jumping to conclusions or judging before it's necessary, high performance leaders center their listening around staying curious. How do you do that? One way is by asking relevant questions. One of my mentors, Lester T. Shapiro (who wrote the book  The Training Effectiveness Handbook ) once said that the primary role of leaders is to ask relevant questions. Here are some questions that I've found extremely relevant and that help me to remain curious: What is your case? We are always building a case and  not  always aware of the case that we're building or why. It might not even serve our best interests, and yet we can talk ourselves into anything. Stay curious about what you really want, what you think you want and (most importantly) ...

What happens when we don't solve a problem? What happens when we fail? I've worked on some big problems and fallen on my face. I had a plan, a had a goal, but the problem got the best of me. Crap happens. But in the process of working on that problem, as unpleasant as it was, I learned. I grew. I changed. Problems are there to help us grow. Even when we fail to solve a problem we learn and grow by working toward a solution. Maybe we solve it later. Maybe we change direction. Maybe we never fix what was bothering us. But when we stay open, curious, and creative we learn. And learning is often enough to make the journey worthwhile. What have you learned today? -- Doug Smith

What sparks your curiosity? Do you see part of the job of a leader as staying curious? I've been working at staying curious as much as possible instead of choosing to judge. Our backgrounds might make it easier to judge, but as high performance leaders we get much more value out of staying curious. Curious about: How people react to our goals What people are looking for Our customer's needs The emotions behind a position The position behind an emotion How our team members can bring their whole selves to work The real causes of the problems we work to solve The best steps to take to achieve our goals Why people say what they do Why people believe what they believe... The list is endless. We can choose at any moment to stay curious. If the need to judge emerges ("does that make sense? Is that good for me?") we have plenty of time to make that choice as well. Staying curious keeps our possibilities open and dramatically improves our influence because ...

Do you interview job candidates? Do you find yourself being interviewed? Would it make you a better leader if you could be both a better interviewer and interview? There's a lot to improving our interviewing skills, and the reasons to improve are important. When we are more skillful at interviewing it gives us: More highly qualified team members Greater leadership opportunities Opportunities to avoid costly mistakes Clearer understanding about situations Useful team development information Critical problem solving examples Stories we can share ...and more.  Here's the fastest way that I know to improve interviewing skills. Stay curious. You don't need twelve action steps or a plan for tips and techniques that take hours of practice. Oh, those will help and do them if you like. But, your biggest single boost in interviewing comes from staying genuinely curious. Curious about the other person, about what they have to say, about the questions that th...

What do you do when you don't like the answer to your question? What if the answers to your problem aren't arising as fast as you'd like? One of my mentors, and someone I still enjoy working with, Andrew Oxley likes to say "If you don't like the answer to a question, ask a better question." That's a powerful way to improve communication. To get better communication results - the results you are looking for, ask better questions. Stay curious. Probe with kindness. If you can't find the answer, ask a different question. The answer is likely in there. We never need accept failure as final. Keep curious, keep asking, reframe instead of blaming, and our patience will pay off. What questions do you need to ask? -- Doug Smith Front Range Leadership: Training Supervisors for Success Doug Smith Training: How to achieve your goals

Do you remember how curious you were as a four-year old? I don't remember too much myself, but as a parent I sure do remember how my children were at that age and all through their childhood. Curiosity is a key strength of children. They are constantly testing, trying, investigating, and inductively learning how the world works and where their most fun opportunities could be found. As leaders, we owe it to our teams to encourage more curiosity. What if we could capture the curiosity we felt as children and perpetuate in ways combined with our adult knowledge to develop better products, faster processes, and more eloquent customer service? I think that we can. Centered leaders stay open and curious. Open to possibilities, and curious about what they don't already know. I'm willing to work at being more curious today. How about you? -- Douglas Brent Smith Front Range Leadership  |   Fast, affordable leadership training

What's your reaction when you find yourself in conflict and yet you are absolutely sure that you're right? Do you dig in on your position? Do you redouble your efforts to convince everyone of your position? Or do you stay curious? Do you stay open to learning? The more certain I am that I'm right the greater the opportunity there is to learn. The next time you are absolutely sure that you're right try asking yourself -- what can I still learn here? It could change everything. -- Douglas Brent Smith

Can we talk about it? When a problem is bothering you, can you share that trouble? Do you have people who will listen without judging to your concerns? Do you know a confidante who will hold your secret fears in trust long enough to hear them out? Problems require communication. Deep communication. Listening with curiosity. Speaking with clarity. Knowing what matters and keeping focus on the clear boundaries of a larger vision. Problems are part of the journey, why not make them part of the conversation. The bigger the problem, the greater the need for deeper conversations. Talk your problem over. Build the relationships you need to deal effectively and with respect to the problems at hand. That's how it works best. -- Douglas Brent Smith Curious? Explore our workshop  Centered Problem Solving .