Curiosity Cultivation Tips

Only 26% of leaders create psychological safety in their teams*. This means just 1 in 4 leaders are truly tapping into the full potential of their people. Psychological safety is the secret ingredient that turns good teams into extraordinary ones—and it doesn’t require grand gestures. It’s the small, often overlooked actions that make the biggest difference. See the examples: 1. Admit your own missteps: 🗣 Example: "Last quarter, I missed a key detail in our strategy, and it led to a delay. Here’s how I’m adjusting my approach." 2. Ask for feedback, then act 🗣 Example: "After hearing your thoughts on our meeting structure, I’ve decided to shorten our agenda and focus more on discussion." 3. Show that asking for help Is normal 🗣 Example: "I’m struggling with this new software—can someone show me how to use this feature?" 4. Celebrate the journey, not just the destination 🗣 Example: "The presentation wasn’t flawless, but the way you tackled the research was impressive." 5. Give permission to challenge 🗣 Example: "I want someone to play devil’s advocate—how could this plan go wrong?" 6. Create space for dissent 🗣 Example: "Before we finalize, let’s hear from anyone who sees this differently." 7. Reframe failure as growth 🗣 Example: "Our experiment didn’t yield the results we hoped for, but we now know what to avoid next time." 8. Demystify decision-making 🗣 Example: "We chose this vendor because they align with our long-term sustainability goals." 9. Reward curiosity 🗣 Example: "That question opened up a whole new line of thinking—thanks for bringing it up!" 10. Spotlight the quiet contributors 🗣 Example: "I want to highlight Anna’s work on the backend—it’s crucial to our project’s success, even though it’s often behind the scenes." True trust doesn't come from protecting your people from conflict or tough conversations. It’s born from inviting in every voice, especially the ones that challenge the status quo. If you're not making space for diverse ideas, you're not just missing out—you're holding your team back. * 📚 Study source: McKinsey & Co., “Psychological safety and the critical role of leadership development,” 2021.

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭. I knew I should do it, dreaded every minute of it, and avoided it whenever I could. The word itself felt transactional. As an introvert, the small talk and the exchange of business cards felt overwhelming. I went through the motions, but I never enjoyed it. Then one day, I changed how I approached it. I realized that the way I thought about networking shaped how I experienced it. If you see it as a chore, it will always feel like one. But if you see it as an opportunity to connect, to be helpful, or to learn something new, it becomes energizing. Not the kind of connection where you forget someone’s name a week later, but the kind where you remember their story. Now, when I walk into a room, I think about how I can be useful. I ask better questions. I follow up. I try to help people without expecting anything in return. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲: 1. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 Boz, one of my former managers, used to say to build bridges in peacetime. Don’t wait until you need something to reach out. One of the strongest connections I have came from someone who helped me find a caregiver for my mom. Years later, I was able to refer him to three contacts, all of whom offered him jobs. We built trust before either of us needed anything. 2. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 At each company I worked at, I saw this again and again. The people who reached out, did their homework, asked thoughtful questions, and demonstrated curiosity stood out. A resume rarely tells the full story. Just like colleges look for demonstrated interest, companies do too. 3. 𝐓𝐚𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 Many roles are never posted. At startups especially, hiring is often opportunistic. If someone great comes referred, they usually get a closer look. Let people know what you are looking for. You never know who is keeping a mental list for future openings. 4. 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 The world is smaller than you realize. I’ve received backchannel calls before a candidate even formally applied. I’ve also seen offers fall apart because of what someone shared off the record. What people say about you when you are not in the room matters. Are you known as someone who gives or someone who takes? Real connection is rarely convenient. It takes time. It takes intention. But it is often the difference between staying stuck and moving forward. So the next time you are tempted to opt out of that conversation, call, or coffee, ask yourself this: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠?

One of the clearest signals of whether a transformation is working isn’t in the plan - it’s in the conversations happening in your teams. So pay close attention to the frequency of healthy debate, constructive challenge and openness to new and divergent ideas that takes place. If the frequency is low… …there is the risk of creating the illusion of performance because people readily ‘understand’ each other, agree on everything, collaboration seems to flow smoothly and there is a collective sensation of progress. However, the opportunity cost is teams gets trapped in their own paradigms, opportunities get overlooked, risks ignored - and ultimately their output becomes derivative not innovative, performance diminishes as opposed to improving and compounding. If the frequency is high… …there is a level of psychological safety that allows for team members to be more objective, to speak up with relevant ideas, to constructively challenge each other, and bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to the table - in the knowledge it won’t be held against them. This opens up the opportunity of reframing the paradigm, and connecting different perspectives and ideas. Ingredients for creativity, innovation, resilience and performance. You see homogeneous teams might feel easier, but easy doesn’t translate into Performance. Here are a few ideas to experiment with your teams… 1. Intentionally foster a team environment that replaces scepticism with intellectual curiosity, an open and learning mindset.   2. Consider how you can create a ways of working that allows all ideas and perspectives from everyone in the room to be heard. 3. Encourage dissenting perspectives. Surrounding yourself with people who are willing to disagree with you and challenge your perspectives and each other. 4. Consider whether you may need to invite others to that creative or idea generation meeting to ensure you get a broader perspective. 5. De-stigmatise failure through sharing past mistakes and celebrating lessons learnt. 6. Institutionalise a team culture of healthy candour. Candour is one of the key attributes to improving the quality of output, levelling up creativity and enabling effective collaboration. What would you add? #transformation #culture #psychologicalsafety

Many senior leaders I work with care deeply about innovation. And still, they experience a tension they don’t always state out loud. Control vs. curiosity. Alignment vs. disagreement. They know innovation doesn’t come from everyone just doing what they’re told. But they also believe that too much freedom, without enough structure, can quickly turn into chaos. What they often do not realize is that they do not need to pick a side. Instead, they need to learn how to hold both at the same time. In my work, I’ve seen that innovative teams don’t try to get rid of dissent. They embrace it and shape it. And they don’t just tell people to “be curious.” They use practices that make curiosity possible, every day. Here are a few principles that help leaders navigate this tension: 1. Keep dissent about ideas, not people. The best debates focus on the work: the data, the assumptions, the trade-offs. Not egos, titles, or who’s “right.” When leaders stay open (especially when they’re being challenged) it gives everyone else permission to do the same. 2. Give curiosity clear boundaries. Curiosity actually works better with structure. Be clear about where experimentation is encouraged, what constraints matter, and when decisions are final. Too much freedom without clarity is overwhelming. Clarity creates room to explore. 3. Don’t mix learning moments with performance moments. If every conversation feels like a test, people stop taking risks. Say out loud when the goal is learning, reflection, or trying things out. And protect those spaces. 4. Reward contribution, not agreement. If people get ahead by agreeing, that’s what they’ll do. If they get ahead by improving thinking, raising risks, and expanding options, you’ll get better decisions. 5. Remember: culture follows behavior, not demands or promises. Curiosity isn’t what leaders say they want. It’s what they notice, what they ask about, and what they act on, especially when things get tense. To me, innovation does not mean letting go of control. It’s about using control more thoughtfully, in ways that leave room for learning, challenge, and discovery. Leaders who get this right build teams and organizations that keep learning long after today’s problems are solved. #teams #collaboration #control #innovation #rules #practices #tension #learning #leadership

The most curious people in your company aren't asking questions. I learned this the hard way. Last year, we were hired by a tech startup whose innovation had flatlined. The founder was frustrated: "We hired the smartest people we could find. Why aren't they contributing ideas?" So I did something unusual. Instead of running a workshop, I spent a week just observing. What I discovered changed everything I thought I knew about curiosity at work. 🔍The marketing director had revolutionary ideas about customer behavior but only shared them with her closest colleague during coffee breaks. 🔍 The product manager saw three major flaws in their development process but mentioned them only in private Slack messages to his team. 🔍 The finance lead had identified a massive cost-saving opportunity but kept it to herself because "it wasn't her department." Every single person was brimming with curiosity. They just didn't trust the environment enough to voice it publicly. Here's what the World Economic Forum 2025 report won't tell you: Curiosity isn't disappearing from workplaces. It's going underground. Your brightest minds are asking questions just not to you. They're asking in hallways. In private messages. During lunch. Anywhere that feels safer than the conference room. This isn't a skills gap. This is a trust gap. And trust gaps cost organizations their competitive edge. COMB's approach is different. We don't teach curiosity. We excavate it. For nine years, COMB has been developing soft power skills; curiosity, psychological safety, trust-building, and cross-functional collaboration across organizations and teams in Indonesia and Singapore. Long before WEF identified these as critical economic skills, we've been solving the root cause: environments that suffocate the very innovation they claim to want. Because when people feel genuinely safe to voice their questions: 💥 Innovation moves from coffee breaks to boardrooms 💥 Problems get solved before they become crises 💥 Cross-departmental insights finally surface 💥 Your smartest employees start acting like it That tech startup? Six months after building psychological safety, their product roadmap completely transformed. Not because we brought in new talent because we unlocked the talent already there. WEF calls curiosity an economic skill. COMB calls it your hidden competitive advantage. The question isn't whether your people are curious. The question is whether they trust you enough to show it. Lead Beyond Yourself. Rise Beyond Limits. Where are your best ideas hiding? And what would change if they felt safe to come out? Ready to excavate the curiosity already in your organization? Let's talk. #softpowerskills #innovation #teamperformance #trustbuilding #futureofwork #cassandracoach

A follow-up to something I posted earlier… The most valuable person in your network probably has nothing to do with your industry. That sounds backwards. But here's what most people miss about networking: The connections that look "irrelevant" create the most exponential growth. The ones that seem "practical" just keep you moving in straight lines. I think about people in my life who have made a real difference, like Michael Roderick, a friend who used to be a Broadway producer and inspired me on my journey to start writing musical theater. As I write about in The Long Game, there are three types of networking most people never distinguish: Short-Term Networking: You connect because you need something now. It feels transactional because it is. People sense the agenda immediately. Long-Term Networking: You build relationships in your field over time. Smart professionals do this consistently. But it's the baseline, not the breakthrough. Infinite Horizon Networking: This is where exponential growth happens. You connect with people completely outside your sphere. Not because you need something. Because they spark curiosity. The astronaut who changes how you think about systems. The comedian who teaches you timing in presentations. The dog breeder who shows you patience in development. These connections seem impractical. They won't help you close a deal next quarter. But here's the paradox: When you stop optimizing for immediate relevance, you start accessing ideas no one else in your field has. You think differently. You solve problems differently. You become unforgettable in a sea of people with identical networks. Your greatest opportunities emerge from conversations you never expected to have. Networking isn't just a business tool. It's about becoming more curious. More creative. More human. When you connect out of genuine curiosity, you don't just build a network. You become someone worth knowing. It's the most rewarding investment you can make in your personal and professional life. Think about the people in your life who inspire you most - and ways you can begin to spend even more time with people outside your sphere.

As a coach, every day I meet professionals who say they need to get better at networking. They think it is a hard target they must push through to achieve. But they hate it.. Because it feels superficial and fake to them… Many believe they can converse on the topics they care about, but kicking off a chat with a relative stranger and holding it up for some time without feeling awkward is a big challenge. It seems harder because it is difficult to prepare for it in advance…as one would before a big meeting or presentation… One of my clients even said that he is just not that interesting … Do you see yourself in the above scenarios? Do you also feel that making small talk is a tall order.. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 – ▶️Give yourself the target to be 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 in the people you will likely meet. It is far easier than the target to be interesting. ▶️Be 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 about other people’s experiences. People like talking about themselves. Ask questions about their lives. It can unravel tales of adventure, reflection, advice, and shared interests. ▶️Be fully 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 with the person you are talking to. Pay attention to what is said verbally as well as non-verbally. Listen for what matters to the person speaking and ask for more. Show the other person you care about what they are saying by offering reflections to move the conversation forward. ▶️When asked a question, 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦. Say something meaningful to build on. Instead of saying, “I live in ‘X’ city,” you may say, “I live in ‘X’ city and love the artistic events here, or I enjoy the multicultural vibe here.”   ▶️Take 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 to engage in small talk more often. After all, everything gets easier with practice. Small talk may feel like a challenge now, but it is also an opportunity to connect and bond with new people. Staying open and curious, asking questions, being a good listener, and not putting too much pressure on yourself will help you through the situation quite well, and you may even learn to like engaging with new people.

“𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹.” — 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻 It’s a simple line. But most leaders fail under pressure. There’s a moment where assumptions take center stage. People think they understand someone’s capability, intent, or value… without ever engaging deeply enough to be right. That’s the gap. And in leadership, that gap is expensive. Judgment is fast. Curiosity is disciplined. Judgment closes loops prematurely: • “They’re not ready.” • “That won’t work.” • “We’ve tried that before.” Curiosity forces you to stay in the problem longer: • What am I missing? • What context don’t I have? • What constraints are shaping this behavior or outcome? The best leaders I’ve worked with do one thing consistently: They interrogate assumptions before they make decisions. Because here’s the reality: Most performance issues are misunderstood context. Most missed opportunities are dismissed too early. Most “underperformers” were never fully understood. Curiosity changes that. It creates space for: • Better signal detection in complex environments • Stronger team alignment and trust • Faster root cause identification instead of surface-level fixes And importantly, it scales. If your organization defaults to judgment, you’ll optimize for speed and miss truth. If your organization defaults to curiosity, you may slow down slightly upfront, but you dramatically increase decision accuracy, team engagement, and long-term outcomes. That’s the tradeoff. And it’s not close. So the next time you feel certain… Pause. Ask one more question. You’ll almost always find something you didn’t expect. #Leadership #Curiosity #ExecutiveLeadership #TeamPerformance #DecisionMaking #TedLasso #GrowthMindset

A few weeks ago, after setting up the room for a workshop, I stepped out to make a quick phone call. By the time I returned, a bunch of participants had  arrived, found their seats, and pulled out their laptops—ready to watch something happen. Then, one participant approached me. “Where’s the screen?” she asked. “There aren’t any slides today,” I replied. She frowned slightly, as if to say, 'Then what am I here for?' It’s a familiar script: ✅ Someone calls the meeting. ✅ Someone holds the space. ✅ Everyone else sits back, listens, and waits to be led. I reckon the best leaders 'flip the room'. They break the passive, hierarchical default and generate real engagement. For as long as people are sitting back, waiting to be led, their true genius will never emerge. Flipping the room isn’t about taking control. It’s about giving it back. Here are 3 things to think about... 1. Don’t Command Attention—Create Shared Tension If you start by talking, you reinforce the ‘audience’ mindset. Instead, spark curiosity and involvement from the start: ❓ Ask: “What’s the biggest challenge on your mind today?” 💬 Start a conversation: “How are we feeling about X?” 🧩 Present a puzzle: “If something was missing from our strategy, what would it be?” 2. Pass the Mic How do you decide who speaks? Rank, charisma and forthrightness are dangerous reasons. In thriving teams, leaders build teams that generate the best ideas. So break the pattern: 🔄 Instead of answering a question, throw it back: “What do you think?” 🛠️ Instead of presenting a plan, ask them to build one: “How could we tackle this?” 🤔 Instead of being the one to pass the microphone, invite others to invite people to speak: “Who else do you want to hear from?” 3️⃣Perhaps try the 'rule of 3 passes' - something I shared in this LinkedIn post. 3. Set Shared Expectations Early If people assume they’re supposed to be in ‘receive mode,’ they’ll act like it. Change the expectation from the start: 🚫 Remove slides and tables—design a space for co-creation. 🔄 Frame the session differently: “This isn’t a presentation from me—it’s a session to co-create X.” ❓Ask: “By the end of this, what does each of us need to move forward?” Flipping the Room = Flipping Your Mindset To flip the room, you need to check your own expectations. Leadership isn’t about commanding attention—it’s about energising people to think, contribute, and make great progress. So next time you step into a room, don’t ask: How do I lead this meeting? Ask: How do I flip it? Over to you: What are the best ways to flip the room? (This photo is from a different room I worked in last week, with an executive leadership team. As you can see, flipping a room starts with the space you create. It was a very cool spot for meaningful conversation.) PS. If we haven't met before and you'd like to stay in touch, I welcome your connection request. #Leadership #Facilitation #Teamwork #Meetings