Why Curiosity Is One of the Top Skills Needed for the Future

If you’re looking for one of the top skills needed to be successful in the future, consider a trait that comes naturally to toddlers: curiosity. 

As any parent knows, young children pepper their conversations with an endless (and sometimes exhausting) stream of “why?”s. They are the very models of unbridled curiosity. When they reach adulthood, however, they often work in organizations that stifle any childlike inquisitiveness. According to a survey of 3,000 employees conducted by Francesca Gino of the Harvard Business School, only 24% reported feeling curious in their jobs on a regular basis and 70% said they face barriers to asking more questions at work. 

Curiosity, however, is vital for the workplace of the future. Curiosity spurs learning and the exchange of ideas, leads workers to communicate better with one another, and fuels innovation. “When we are curious,” Francesca wrote in a Harvard Business Review article, “we view tough situations more creatively.” That was one of the most relevant points in a recent LinkedIn conversation between Francesca and Chuck Edward, the corporate vice president of human resources at Microsoft. The event coincided with the launch of Francesca’s LinkedIn Learning course Leverage the Power of Curiosity at Work to Adapt and Grow. 

During their conversation, Francesca cited another Harvard study that asked 1,500 global executives which skills would be needed most as companies undergo the digital transformation. Their top three? Adaptability, creativity, and curiosity. 

To foster more curiosity in your organization — and to hire more employees who love to ask questions –– try these five tips. 

1. Hire workers who display curiosity

Although Francesca believes that curiosity can be developed, you can also hire workers who are naturally curious. This inquisitiveness usually becomes apparent during the interview process. 

Chuck says that a candidate’s curiosity is often what makes or breaks an interview for him — especially when it comes to the questions that a candidate asks at the end. “Do they ask a safe question, one they’ve likely rehearsed and written down in advance?” he says. “Or are they building on the conversation you just had? Do you literally feel like the candidate can make your company better because they’re pushing you and asking, ‘Why do we do it that way?’ or ‘Have you ever considered this?’” 

You can also proactively ask questions that gauge how curious a candidate is. The hiring teams at Google, for example, have asked candidates: “Have you ever found yourself unable to stop learning something you’ve never encountered before? Why? What kept you persistent?” 

2. Create safe spaces where people feel free to be inquisitive

Both Francesca and Chuck agreed that curiosity requires a certain amount of vulnerability: You need to feel comfortable asking questions — even those that might seem stupid — and reveal that you don’t know something about a subject. 

“I think the question,” Chuck says, “is how do you create enough of a safe space, where it’s actually healthy and encouraged to be curious again? Who is going to be the person in the room to ask either the most obvious question or the question that we’re all thinking about?” 

Chuck pointed out that virtual meetings have made it easier to create these safe spaces, particularly through the use of the chat and hand-raising functions. “They’re literally giving people the space to think, ‘I might want to ask a question here,’” he says. 

3. Have leaders model curiosity

Leaders can encourage workers to be curious by being inquisitive themselves. 

Leaders often want to look invulnerable and in charge, so they may be afraid to ask questions that betray their ignorance about something. But Francesca’s research has shown that when workers and leaders demonstrate curiosity about others by asking questions, people tend to like them more and view them as more competent. 

Managers and executives can model this behavior by asking questions and listening to people’s answers, so others feel safe to do the same. “Leaders,” Chuck says, “have to admit that they don’t have all the answers and don’t know everything.” He adds that at Microsoft, leaders (including the CEO) have modeled this type of curiosity and willingness to learn. He calls this a “growth mindset,” a term made popular by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. 

“As leaders,” Chuck says, “we need to give each other permission to seek an alternative way of thinking about things. We can change from ‘I’m just communicating a decision’ to being truly interested in the thoughts of everyone in the room, and making sure that people are asking questions in a way that brings out curiosity.” 

4. Encourage employees to explore their own interests

One thing about curiosity: You can’t force it. People’s minds tend to gravitate to questions that interest them most. But workplaces are usually skewed toward recommended or mandated trainings. “We’re not creating enough space,” Chuck says, “to allow someone to create their own learning plan based on their curiosity.” 

He cites an example from his own life to illustrate how letting his mind meander can help at work. In his free time, Chuck likes to listen to interviews of musicians and comedians talking about how they write a song or craft a comedy routine. “Every time I hear one of these interviews,” he says, “I realize, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of work-related content that I can use or that’s really applicable to my job.’” He adds that these interviews would never be part of a mandated training, and yet they inspire him to look at work differently and to function better. 

5. Emphasize the “habit of mind” of curiosity and learning

Of course, it can be a challenge to create time for this kind of curiosity when, Francesca says, “our calendars look like heavily stacked pancakes these days.” Chuck adds that the enemies of curiosity are speed, volume, and pressure, all of which can lead to burnout. But Chuck says that, wherever possible, it’s essential to carve out time and room for curiosity, whether that’s by getting up early to work out or meditating or taking a walk in the middle of the day. 

Francesca says that curiosity can even be as simple as a “habit of mind,” and she points to the example of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who landed a commercial aircraft safely in the Hudson River in 2009, after a flock of birds flew into his plane, disabling both engines. He had already cultivated the habit, every time his plane pushed back from the gate, of asking himself “What can I learn?” and reminding himself that he needed to be prepared for the unexpected. 

When the unexpected happened, he had 208 seconds to make a decision. “He kept asking questions, broadening his perspective, broadening his set of options,” Francesca says. He eliminated most of his options quickly, until he reached the one remaining solution. He landed the plane in the Hudson River. All 155 people aboard survived. 

 “I would argue we all have some ability to do that,” Chuck adds. That’s especially true, he says, when you’re taking care of yourself by eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep — so you can create the inner calm, where curiosity thrives. 

Final thoughts: Why curiosity is so important now

As the Sully example shows, curiosity is a highly valuable skill in times of uncertainty. “And these are uncertain times,” Chuck says. “We don’t have all the answers.”

But, he adds: “The more we create environments where people are comfortable constructively questioning each other with curiosity, the more likely we are to arrive at good solutions.”

To learn more, check out Francesca’s course on LinkedIn Learning.

*Photo by Tanaphong Toochinda on Unsplash

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