High Performing Leaders Thrive with One Powerful Habit
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We lose our curiosity quietly.
Not all at once. Bit by bit — between the meetings we rush to, problems we solve on autopilot, and the constant pull of the daily grind.
Somewhere along the way, we trade What if? for What’s next?
And when you do, you lose one of the most powerful leadership tools you have.
I’ve been trained to ask questions. It’s what coaches do — because a single question can change a conversation, a career, even a life.
But I've always asked questions. When I was younger, I asked questions to take the spotlight off myself. I was deeply insecure, and curiosity became a safe way to connect.
Later, I realized it wasn’t just a social tool — it was a strategic one.
At Martha Stewart, when a client came in with an ad proposal, I got curious and questioned: What if we didn’t just sell them an ad? What if we pitched a full partnership, with product placement everywhere during their campaign? That one question brought us revenue, national exposure, product sales, and a deeper relationship. So much more than a single ad page.
At Fast Company, I asked my team: What if Marriott could stream our content to every guest at check-in? That question became a first of its kind licensing deal.
People will tell you no.
They’ll say it can’t be done. But that’s not a fact — that’s an artificial limitation.
Curiosity is how you push past it.
Curiosity is active, intentional, and wildly impactful when you make it part of how you lead — yourself and others. It is how high performing leaders shift their mindset, open new doors, and create results they couldn’t reach any other way.
When you lead with curiosity:
You think differently.
You help others think differently.
You create results you couldn’t reach any other way.
Curiosity is a trifecta:
Mindset — staying open, inquisitive, and willing to explore without judgment.
Motivator — pushing you and you pushing your team beyond what’s familiar or comfortable.
Skill — Strengthened to spark creativity, problem-solving, and human connection.
It shifts you from:
Judgment → understanding.
Assumption → insight.
Fear → possibility.
One well-placed question can open a door that a hundred hours of “doing” never could.
Through the Human A-I™ method you develop two leadership superpowers:
Awareness — knowing who and where you are.
Imagination — envisioning without fear where you’re going.
Curiosity is the bridge between the two.
When you shift from constant doing to intentional asking, your awareness expands, your leadership evolves and new insights become the raw material for success.
Without it, you recycle the same thoughts, make the same decisions, and get the same results.
Most leaders are:
Doing.
Solving.
Fixing.
Responding.
All necessary at times, but when that’s all you do, you shut down curiosity — for yourself and for the people you lead.
Curiosity isn’t just a game-changer for work. It’s also how you keep life fresh, relationships alive, and leadership inspired.
Here are questions worth asking in every corner of your life:
Relationships – Keep them alive. ASK:
What’s something you’re carrying right now that feels heavy?
What do you wish I asked you more often?
What’s one thing I could do this week to show you how much I value our relationship?
Connections – Make networking about people, not transactions. ASK:
Who or what has inspired you recently?
What’s one way you’re experimenting with AI in your work or life?
If you could collaborate with anyone—alive or gone—who would it be, and why?
Business – Challenge default thinking. ASK:
Where are we playing it safe when we should be taking a bolder risk?
If technology forced us to reinvent our model overnight, what part of the business would we rebuild first?
Where are we making things harder than they need to be?
Leadership – Ask instead of answering the. Coach them. ASK:
If this were 100% yours to run, what decision would you make today?
What are three different ways to solve this—one safe, one bold, one weird?
What would you try/decision you would make if you couldn't fail/no repercussions?
Self-Leadership – Audit your own stories. ASK:
If I spoke to myself like I do my best friend, what would I say differently?
Where am I defaulting to busy instead of being brave?
What am I tolerating that’s quietly draining me?
Big Leaps – Keep the door open to what’s next. ASK:
If I weren’t afraid to fail, what would I try?
If my life were a movie, what would the audience be screaming at me to do?
Who’s living the life I want—and what can I learn from them?
Lead yourself with curiosity.
Ask the questions.
Listen without rushing to respond.
Stay open long enough to be surprised.
You don’t need to have it all figured out — that’s the point.
You need to be curious enough to keep going.
Because when you dare to ask, What if?,
You don’t just change your week.
You change the story you’re writing about your life.
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📓 Journal Prompts for the Week Ahead
As the CEO of ME, leading first with curiosity, I’m________________
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