Nurturing a Curious Mindset With Steph Auping

In this episode of the Connected Leadership podcast, Andy Lopata welcomes Steph Auping. Steph is a co-founder and the Chief Learning Officer at Leadership & Co. a firm dedicated to preparing leaders to excel in today's complex business environment. Her focus lies in nurturing skillsets and amplifying the leadership impact of participants. In this episode, Steph emphasises the importance of nurturing curiosity in individuals and organizations. She highlights that this core trait is a competitive advantage that enhances productivity, innovation, teamwork, resilience, and adaptability in the workplace. She identifies three types of curiosity: cognitive curiosity, which involves hunting for knowledge and problem-solving; social curiosity, which involves seeking to understand and engage with others; and reflective curiosity, which involves introspection of personal beliefs and values. All three contribute significantly to personal growth and relationship-building in professional environments. She discusses the potential negative impact of traditional educational models, where the pressure to memorise and recite information maystifle curiosity. Instead, the goal should be to foster learn-it-all cultures rather than know-it-all behaviours, encouraging an openness to new information. Andy and Steph discuss the powerful role of curiosity in workplaces, leadership, and cultures. They look at how leaders can model curiosity, encouraging it in their teams and workspaces to fuel innovation and growth. They also explore how personality traits and differences, including gender and introversion, impact curiosity. Navigating conversations with neurodivergent individuals and understanding their perspectives and experiences is also important. Andy and Steph discuss the role of having objectives or agendas in conversations. While a lack of agenda allows authenticity and free-flowing conversations, directed curiosity is beneficial when working towards a specific goal or innovation. Addressing the curiosity among different generations, Steph advocates for nurturing a curious mindset in younger workers instead of pushing them to conform to established norms. She suggests that structures need to be put in place to encourage their curiosity. Exploring cultural differences, Steph mentions that genuine curiosity about a different culture is usually met with open dialogue. A non-judgmental and genuinely curious approach is appreciated, while a lack of curiosity is perceived as disinterest or arrogance. In closing, Steph provides three key practices for leaders to foster curiosity: role modelling it, asking questions, and rewarding it. The conversation underscores the need for encouraging curiosity in the workplace, especially among women, who might, in some professional environments, be more reluctant to express their curiosity for fear of appearing unknowledgeable. For leaders, the challenge is to create safe spaces for questions, exploration, and the free exchange of ideas. According to Steph, when curiosity is valued and nurtured, it can drive substantial positive impacts for both the individual and the organisation.  Connect with Andy Lopata Website Connect with Steph Auping Website