Stefaan van Hooydonk

Curiosity: The Key Ingredient for Creating a Winning Culture

Research has shown that forward-looking curious companies are more innovative and competitive vs. their peers. In this keynote we explore how c-suites can influence their organizations by embracing the power of curiosity.

Every person is born with a healthy dose of curiosity. Some people can maintain this level through adulthood, many however see its original strength diminish over time. The reason why curiosity decreases as we grow older is because we become fixed in our ways of thinking and our routines; we stop asking important questions of our customers, our colleagues and ourselves.

The same happens with start-ups. Early start-ups have a high predisposition to exploration, only to see that this mindset deteriorates once the company expands. The company starts to focus on efficiency, it conforms to rigid standards, and thus finds it harder to learn from mistakes.
 
It does not have to be this way. Curiosity is like a muscle. With intentional focus we can grow our curiosity and capacity to rise above ourselves as individuals and professionals. Research has shown that curious professionals make more money and progress faster through their career, are happier in life, and are also better at maintaining relationships. They also learn faster, are more open to change and benefit from a deeper self-awareness. They ask deeper, better, and more questions and are, overall, more successful. They are more productive and see more results.

In this interactive session, we will explore what we know about curiosity, why it is important in our professional life, and reflect on strategies to get better at it.

Leading with Curiosity

The shadow a leader casts on her/his team is often more important than one realises. Curious leaders uplift their teams, while incurious leaders stifle it. In this keynote, we will explore strategies for leaders to embrace curiosity and create high-performing, engaged, and motivated teams.

The shadow a manager casts on their team is one of the biggest drivers for productivity, engagement, and the feeling of well-being within the team. The managers who do this well, uplift the team. Those who don’t, stifle it. The key to effective task management and people leadership is curiosity.

Curious leaders are good at operationalizing the present as well as securing the future. They create the psychological safety for the team to thrive. Curious leaders represent a high level of cognitive, empathic, and self-reflective curiosity. They are curious about the world around them, the people they work with, and their own internal conscious and unconscious drivers. They go out of their way to engage with their team, especially in times of crisis. They stretch their teams to excel in the present and to embrace the future; they are intentionally curious.

Not every manager is curious. Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino has found that while leaders often state that their organizations value curiosity at work, most stifle it through their culture, processes, and practices.

In this interactive session, we explore what we know about curiosity, why it is important for leaders, teams, and organizations, what the barriers are, and what leaders can do to get better at intentional curiosity for themselves and the people in their care.

Master Your Curiosity to Master Your Life

We are all born curious, only to find ourselves becoming worse at it as we grow older. Yet curious professionals experience faster careers, are better at relationships, and are generally happier. In this keynote we will be exploring why curiosity is important and what you can do to become better at it.

Every person is born with a healthy dose of curiosity. Some people can maintain this level through adulthood, many however see its original strength diminish over time. The reason why curiosity decreases as we grow older is because we become fixed in our thinking and routines and stop asking important questions to our customers, our colleagues, and ourselves.

It does not have to be this way. curiosity is like a muscle. With intentional focus we can grow our curiosity and capacity to rise above ourselves as individuals and professionals. Research has shown that curious professionals make more money and progress faster through their career, are happier in life and are better at maintaining relationships. They also learn faster, are more open to change and benefit from a deeper self-awareness. They ask deeper, better, and more questions and, overall, are more successful. They are also more productive and get more results.

In this interactive session, we will explore what we know about curiosity, why it is important in our professional life, and reflect on strategies to get better at it. Every employee will be invited to do a curiosity assessment and will receive a report on their individual curiosity profile. This session is also relevant for leaders.

The Power of Curiosity for HR

The Human Resources function has a tremendous role in creating a curiosity-enhancing culture through their processes and practices. In this session we will reflect on how HR can reflect on embracing the power of curiosity in the talent management and talent development.​

Curiosity is hot. The world as we know it is not the same anymore in the post-covid era. In times of change, Leaders are starting to realise that they need to be both pursuing operational efficiency as well as openness towards an unknown future. Those companies that balance both exploitation and exploration well remain competitive. Yet why is this renewed focus on exploration and curiosity so hard for companies?

Intentional Curiosity is of paramount importance in times of change. The implications of this fundamental change for HR are vast. Not only does HR need to embrace this concept within their own ranks and reinvent themselves, they also need to embark on a journey to ensure curiosity is embedded in recruitment, onboarding, talent management and talent development processes.

In this interactive session, we explore what we know about curiosity, why it is important for the workplace, what the barriers are and what HR can do to get better at intentional curiosity for themselves and the people in their care.

The Power of Curiosity in L&D

Learning and curiosity go hand-in-hand, yet how much are the learning and development practices in our organisations driven by top-down compliance versus bottom-up exploration? In this session we will learn from best practices and reflect on what L&D can do to embrace curiosity in order to better serve the people in their care.

Curiosity is hot in L&D. Curiosity is the initial spark which ignites learning and growth, creativity and innovation. It also creates deeper relationships and allows people to become intently aware of their values, beliefs, and biases. In times of stability, curiosity and exploration is marginalised, in times of volatility like we are in now, it comes to the forefront. Many L&D teams are already exploring how to redesign their strategy with curiosity at the centre and as a result, best practices are emerging.

The implications of the changing industrial landscape, and consequently the way people grow and learn, are indeed vast for L&D. L&D leaders and their teams have the opportunity to step up and embrace this concept within their own ranks, and reinvent themselves. They can also embark on a journey to mobilize their leaders and employees to get better at curiosity with novel learning solutions. Furthermore, more broadly they have the opportunity to redesign the way their organisations and professionals learn, unlearn, and relearn.

In this interactive session, we explore what we know about curiosity, why it is important for the workplace, what the barriers are, and what L&D can do to strengthen and flex their curiosity muscles.