Curiosity Versus Continual Learning

Curious leaders investigate and explore. 

They have a deep desire to understand what makes people tick and tock, how they came to be who they are today, and what drives them toward achievement. 

They want to know how things work, from gadgets to businesses, and the chance to get under the hood and examine the inner workings of anything successful floats their boat. 

They ask questions, make observations, and rigorously probe what they uncover. Curious leaders have an insatiable need to understand. 

Leaders who focus on self-improvement through continuous learning take a different approach. They jump at any opportunity to learn how to get better. 

They remain vigilant in their pursuit of best practices and new ways of thinking. They test themselves to find those areas where they need more work, and then they seek others who might help them enhance their skills. Continuous learners have an insatiable need to improve.

While these two avenues for acquiring knowledge are related, they are not the same thing. A leader can be highly curious without a focus on action or improvement. 

Likewise, a continuous leader isn’t necessarily inquisitive about why things work. In other words, a desire to explore doesn’t always translate into self-improvement, and a desire to improve doesn’t always promote a deeper understanding. 

Many of the most successful entrepreneurs credit their curiosity for their good fortunes. Conversely, many of the most accomplished performers believe their ability to learn through repetitive practice is what has propelled them forward. 

So, what happens when a leader is both a curious and continuous learner? 

It seems that relationships and the creative insights that provide the foundation for higher performance benefit most from curiosity, while a fixation on self-improvement through learning and practice most enhances the skills essential for high achievement. 

The combination of both qualities is a leadership superpower. The best leaders do their best to develop both attributes in themselves and in others. 

When assessing talent, great leaders recognize the difference between these two critical qualities and look for those who exhibit a penchant for both ways of gaining important insights. Curiosity and learning go hand-in-hand for those with the highest talent, but that combination is not as common as many believe. 

Most people lean more heavily toward one side of the equation if they indeed excel at either. Research suggests that both qualities are critically important to success. Viewing them as distinct virtues is essential. 

That’s a discriminating insight worth learning and becoming curious about. Which reminds us of a favorite saying from legendary coach John Wooden, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”