Hiring Great People

Look for curiosity

In a scene in season one of the popular show Ted Lasso, the central character is playing darts against former AFC Richmond owner, Ruper Mannion. Before winning the game Lasso shares a Walt Whitman quote with Mannion encouraging him to, “be curious, not judgemental.” While Lasso is talking about bullies judging, the advice, “to be curious”, is apropos for everything in life.

A group of executive coaches and I were having an email conversation about identifying individuals early in their career that are likely to be very successful. One of them told a story where they spent 90 minutes with a young engineering leader who didn’t ask a single question. They were let go from that role in less than a year’s time. If you are meeting one-on-one with someone who has successfully done your job, not just once but many times, and you can’t come up with a single question to ask, you might not be very interested in the role and are very likely to not be successful.

There is lots of advice on how to identify great candidates such as:

• Looking for skills and experiences that match those needed in your role, with a proven track record of success in similar roles.

• Evaluate if the candidate's values and work style align with your company culture by asking questions about teamwork, collaboration, and adaptability.

• Look for candidates who are genuinely excited about the role and demonstrate a strong desire to contribute to the company.

• Assess their approach to challenges and how they demonstrate critical thinking skills when discussing past experiences.

• Evaluate their ability to clearly articulate ideas, actively listen, and effectively communicate both verbally and in writing.

You’ve probably seen similar lists or could come up with your own. What competency or behavior that I think most miss is the demonstration of curiosity.

Research has highlighted that curiosity along with creativity and commitment are hallmarks of entrepreneurial success. Other research has demonstrated the correlation between CEO curiosity and firm innovation. The paper, published in Entrepreneurship Education, states, “CEO curiosity positively influences firm innovation via boundary-spanning search, while organizational inertia weakens both the direct effect of CEO curiosity on boundary-spanning search and its indirect effect on firm innovation.” Boundary-spanning search refers to the practice of importing knowledge from experts outside of a community of practice. Interesting to me from that quote is the detrimental effect of organizational inertia on innovation. This is why I have written several times about the importance of leaders having immense amounts of willpower in order to overcome that inertia.

So if you too believe that curiosity is important in great individuals and leaders, how do you identify that trait? One way, as my coach friend did, is to see what questions someone asks. If during an interview if the person asks no questions, are they really curious? I’m not even interviewing for your role and I’m curious about how you find the culture of your company, what techniques have you found to be successful, what excited you about joining your company? I could go on and on.

Not surprising, there are other ways to determine curiosity. I was asking a friend of mine, who runs a manufacturing company, if he hired a bunch of mechanical engineers. He responded that he did not and instead preferred to hire high school graduates and teach them what they needed to know about engineering. Intrigued, I asked if he had a test that he gave them to determine who was most suited for that training program. It turns out they don’t do a formal test but rather they walk candidates through the plant. The ones that pick up items and investigate them are the ones they have found to be the most successful in their program. If you are curious how something works enough to pick it up and handle it, you probably will demonstrate a lot of interest and curiosity about the engineering that was required to manufacture it.

One business leader whose unquenchable curiosity fueled his passion and innovation was Steve Jobs. As a young man, he enrolled in a calligraphy class at Reed College even after dropping out because his inquisitive nature compelled him to explore beauty in unexpected places. This experience was not wasted. It influenced the elegant typography and design that became synonymous with Apple products. That seemingly small academic detour ignited a spark that echoed throughout his career, encouraging him to blend artistic vision with technological prowess. His restless curiosity led him to constantly challenge conventions, ultimately reshaping the landscape of consumer electronics.

Images: US Patent and Trademark Office

A woman from Ashtabula, Ohio, whose curiosity you probably take for granted every day, is Josephine Cochrane. After a dinner party in 1870, some of her heirloom dishes got chipped while being washed. This piqued her curiosity as to whether there was a better alternative to handwashing. Her invention was the first successful hand-powered dishwasher. Driven by an insatiable need to find efficient solutions, Cochrane studied and modified existing technologies, determined to create a machine that could combine practicality with a gentle touch. Her invention not only revolutionized dishwashing but also laid the foundation for a new industry that continues to streamline kitchen chores to this day.

Curiosity isn’t just a trait of great leaders and engineers, it’s a fundamental driver of personal and professional growth. In a rapidly changing world, the most successful individuals are those who continuously seek to learn, adapt, and challenge their own assumptions. This is why hiring managers should look for candidates who don’t just answer questions well but who ask insightful ones. Someone who naturally investigates, questions the status quo, and explores new perspectives is more likely to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation. These individuals won’t just execute tasks, they’ll push the team and the company forward.

Beyond the hiring process, fostering curiosity within a company’s culture is equally crucial. Leaders should create an environment where employees feel encouraged to ask “why” and “what if” without fear of judgment. Companies that embrace curiosity see the benefits in higher engagement, more creative problem-solving, and a culture that values continuous learning. Google’s famous “20% time” policy, which allowed employees to dedicate a portion of their time to passion projects, led to innovations like Gmail and Google Maps. This underscores the point that when curiosity is nurtured, groundbreaking ideas emerge.

Hiring great people isn’t just about checking off boxes for experience and skills. It’s about identifying those who demonstrate curiosity, the willingness to ask, learn, and challenge conventional thinking. The best hires are the ones who don’t settle for “how things have always been done” but instead seek to explore new possibilities. Whether it’s the hands-on factory worker who picks up and examines a machine part or the software engineer who asks probing questions about scalability, curiosity is a key predictor of future success. By prioritizing this trait in hiring and cultivating it within company culture, organizations can ensure they are not just growing but truly innovating.