You might be missing breakthroughs. Here’s why…

A few years ago, I managed operations for my father’s screen-printing business. We faced a persistent challenge: lead times. Clients called weekly, anxiously asking if we could deliver on time. Rather than seeing this as merely frustrating, I recognized an opportunity for improvement.

After analyzing our workflow, I pinpointed the bottleneck: a critical step between customer service and production that required converting client requirements into production-ready instructions. This process consumed an entire day and tied up two team members.

I developed an automation solution and redeployed those team members to other departments. Within just one month, we’d completely automated that conversion step!

The results were immediate. We proactively contacted customers to announce that we’d eliminated an entire day from our lead times and could consistently deliver on schedule. Customer surprise quickly turned to delight—our satisfaction scores climbed, and our client relationships strengthened significantly.

Later, I shared this win with a friend who worked as VP of Operations at a logistics company. Given his role, I expected enthusiasm about eliminating a full day from production lead times through automation.

His reaction? Nothing. No questions about implementation. No curiosity about how we did it. It was like talking to a wall.

The Curiosity Barrier

This moment stayed with me because it revealed something profound: Many people—even experienced professionals—struggle to entertain new ideas and perspectives, even when the benefits seem obvious.

Why? Perhaps intimidation or skepticism. Or maybe simply resistance to change.

Cultivating Curiosity as Leadership Practice

To remain relevant and lead effectively in today’s environment, you must actively train yourself to seek out new approaches. Curiosity isn’t just a personality trait—it’s a muscle that requires deliberate exercise.

Ask yourself regularly:

• How are others solving similar challenges?
• How might their solutions work in our context?
• What would implementation look like in our specific environment?

The goal isn’t blind acceptance of every new idea. Instead, it’s staying open long enough to understand the concept truly. Breakthrough ideas often feel uncomfortable or counterintuitive initially—that’s precisely what makes them valuable.

When you dismiss too quickly, you risk missing the next breakthrough that could transform your operation. Instead, develop the habit of pausing before judgment. You don’t need to accept every new idea, but you should let it fully register and challenge your existing assumptions.

Bottom line: The individuals and organizations that thrive continuously evolve. Meaningful evolution begins with a genuine willingness to listen, question, and explore possibilities. Being open-minded is a superpower. It’s key to entertaining ideas and not dismissing them.