Uncommon Leadership in the Age of AI- Curiosity
Chapter 5: Curiosity is the antidote to overconfidence
“When you’re wrong but you think you’re right, you’re not learning. You’re stuck.” —Adam Grant
A Failure of Curiosity and the Cost of Certainty
On January 28, 1986, NASA’s Challenger space shuttle broke apart just 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven astronauts aboard, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. The event shocked the nation and led to a major investigation into what went wrong.
The immediate technical failure was traced to O-ring seals on the solid rocket boosters, which failed due to the unusually cold temperatures on launch day. These O-rings had been known to be vulnerable in low temperatures—a fact communicated by engineers.
But the real failure was organizational: it was a failure of leadership curiosity.
Curiosity Could Have Saved Lives:
-
Engineers at Morton Thiokol (NASA’s contractor) raised serious concerns the night before launch. They warned that the cold weather could compromise the O-rings.
-
However, NASA and senior executives overrode these warnings, motivated by launch schedule pressures, public expectations, and a belief in the shuttle’s reliability.
-
Instead of asking “What might we be missing?”, leadership doubled down on certainty and optics.
-
The Rogers Commission later cited “go fever” and a culture that discouraged open questioning, ignored dissenting voices, and rewarded confidence over caution.
-
“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.” Richard Feynman, physicist and member of the investigation panel
The Challenger disaster is a textbook case of how overconfidence, certainty, and suppression of questioning can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Had leaders been more curious—more open to dissent, more willing to delay, more interested in the “inconvenient” details—the tragedy might have been avoided.
Curiosity Is the Antidote to Certainty in the Age of AI
The leaders who will thrive in the age of artificial intelligence are not necessarily those who know the most about the technology—they are those who bring deeper human intelligence to the table. And that intelligence begins with curiosity.
The most transformative leaders are rarely the most charismatic, the most analytical, or the most experienced. They are often the most curious.
Curiosity is not simply a cognitive trait—it is a leadership stance. It’s the practice of staying open to what we don’t know, to perspectives we don’t yet understand, and to possibilities we haven’t imagined. Curiosity is not a soft skill or a pleasant extra; it is a discipline, a posture, and a strategic differentiator. It opens doors others don’t see. It asks when others assume. It observes with presence rather than reacting from impulse. At its core, curiosity is a commitment to both learning and connection.
The Dangers of Certainty in an Age of Machines
AI is built for confidence. It delivers predictions, automates decisions, and gives answers—fast. But this precision can mask a deeper danger: the illusion of certainty.
In high-stakes environments, where time is tight and the demand for answers is high, it’s easy for leaders to equate speed with accuracy, and confidence with truth. But certainty—especially false certainty—is one of the most dangerous leadership traps in the AI era.
As Harvard Business Review contributor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic points out, AI can foster a false sense of competence. When the algorithm offers a confident answer, we stop questioning it. Leaders begin to trust the model over the moment, the dashboard over the dialogue, and predictions over people.
But every model reflects human choices, assumptions, and blind spots. Overconfidence in AI creates a subtle but powerful narrowing of perspective:
-
We stop asking, “What are we missing?”
-
We stop wondering, “Whose voices aren’t in this data?”
-
We forget to challenge the premise altogether.
Overconfidence leads to tunnel vision. It shuts down feedback. It blinds leaders to risk and stifles innovation. And in the age of AI—where decisions scale quickly and consequences ripple widely—this becomes not just a personal leadership flaw, but a systemic threat.
“When you’re wrong but you think you’re right, you’re not learning. You’re stuck.” —Adam Grant
Curiosity is the antidote to overconfidence. Curious leaders don’t reject data—they interrogate it. They seek disconfirming evidence. They listen more deeply. They remain open to the possibility that they’re missing something. In doing so, they preserve their greatest asset: discernment.
Curiosity Begins with Stillness
As Ryan Holiday reminds us in Stillness Is the Key, true inquiry does not begin with activity—it begins with stillness. In a world overwhelmed by AI-generated noise and speed, stillness is not withdrawal. It is discernment.
Stillness creates space for presence, which creates room for genuine curiosity. Without it, curiosity becomes scattered, reactive, or performative. With it, we can ask better questions—not just more questions.
Thich Nhat Hanh described curiosity as a practice of presence. Not intellectual entertainment, but deep attentiveness. When a leader listens without preconception, observes without rushing to fix, and asks without judgment, they create a space where real truth can emerge. Curiosity becomes an act of compassion. It bridges the mechanical with the moral.
Curiosity Is Strategic
In Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown reframes curiosity not as a hunt for more data, but as the pursuit of the right questions. In the age of AI—where we are flooded with options—focused curiosity becomes a strategic advantage.
The curious leader asks:
-
“What is the most important problem we’re trying to solve?”
-
“What are we uniquely positioned to understand?”
-
“What’s the one thing we can do that makes everything else easier?”
AI can generate options. Only humans can choose what matters.
Curiosity Is Human
Joanne Irving, a coach to senior leaders, notes that as AI increasingly mediates our communication—through auto-replies, chatbots, and smart assistants—human relationships grow thinner. Curious leaders resist this trend.
They ask sincere, not just smart, questions:
-
“What’s your perspective?”
-
“How are you experiencing these changes?”
-
“What would make this meaningful for you?”
These are not things AI can ask. They require attention, care, and humility.
Curiosity Requires Courage
To lead with curiosity in today’s world is an act of courage. It is a choice to be vulnerable, to stay open, and to listen deeply—even when it’s uncomfortable. Courageous curiosity shows up in several ways:
1. The Courage to Truly See Others
Seeing someone requires setting aside your own certainty. It means resisting stereotypes and taking the emotional risk of being changed by what you learn. David Brooks writes, “Seeing someone requires the courage to suspend your own point of view long enough to imagine the world through their eyes.”
2. The Courage to Be Present
To give someone your full attention is to risk discomfort. It means listening without interrupting, resisting the urge to fix, and being with someone in their complexity. This presence builds trust—and truth.
3. The Courage to Be Vulnerable
Curiosity invites connection, and connection requires vulnerability. Brené Brown reminds us, “To know and be known is to open yourself to being hurt. But it’s also the only way to experience genuine connection.”
4. The Courage to Confront and Repair
When conflict arises, curiosity leads us toward repair, not retreat. Curious leaders ask what went wrong, where they misunderstood, and how they can rebuild trust. They seek relationships that are not conflict-free—but conflict-resilient.
5. The Courage to Be Curious Across Difference
In a polarized world, it’s easier to cancel than to question. Curious leaders do the opposite. They lean in, ask questions across divides, and resist the reflex to judge or retreat.
Practicing Curiosity: How Leaders Can Strengthen the Muscle
If curiosity is a leadership superpower, the good news is that it’s not fixed—it can be cultivated. Like a muscle, curiosity grows with practice. It requires conscious effort, intentional habits, and a culture that encourages exploration over judgment.
Here are five ways leaders can develop and model curiosity in daily leadership:
1. Replace Judgment with Inquiry
Instead of reacting with critique or advice, try asking:
-
“What led you to that conclusion?”
-
“What other options did you consider?”
-
“What’s the part I might be missing?”
-
Practice: When you feel the urge to correct or respond, pause and ask one clarifying question instead.
2. Use the “5 Whys” Technique
Ask “Why?” five times to dig below the surface of a challenge or decision.
Practice: Use this in postmortems, strategy sessions, or problem-solving discussions to uncover root causes.
3. Create Psychological Safety for Questions
Say things like:
-
“I don’t know—what do you think?”
-
“Let’s explore that together.”
-
“Thanks for asking that.”
-
Practice: Celebrate questions and reframe uncertainty as an opportunity, not a liability.
4. Build in “Wonder Time”
Block time to explore new ideas, read outside your field, visit another department, or simply think deeply.
Practice: Protect 30 minutes weekly for curiosity. It’s where your next breakthrough might emerge.
5. Ask One Big Question Every Week
Reframe the conversation:
-
“What are we pretending not to know?”
-
“What’s the bold move we’re afraid to name?”
-
“If we started over today, what would we do differently?”
-
Practice: Use one of these in your next team meeting or 1:1. Watch what opens up.
Why Curiosity Matters More Than Ever
As AI evolves, it will outperform us in tasks, speed, and scale. But it will never match us in curiosity.
- AI cannot wonder.
- It cannot care.
- It cannot sit in stillness or lean into complexity.
- It cannot ask questions born from love, purpose, or moral imagination.
That is the domain of human leadership.
Curiosity is not a distraction from AI—it is how we lead wisely within it. It ensures we do not become mere operators of machines, but remain designers of futures that serve people. It is how we stay awake, aware, and deeply human in a time of profound change.
Leadership Reflection & Dialogue: Practicing Curiosity in the Age of AI
Use these questions to reflect individually or spark dialogue with your team. Consider revisiting them regularly as you build a culture of curiosity.
Personal Reflection
- When was the last time I changed my mind about something important?
What helped me stay open? - Where in my leadership do I feel most certain?
What assumptions might be hiding underneath that certainty? - Do I tend to default to solving or asking?
How often do I pause to ask a deeper question before offering advice or direction? - What’s a situation where my curiosity helped create a breakthrough?
What made that possible? - When have I been too confident too quickly?
What consequences did that have on others, or on the outcome?
Team Dialogue
- What does it feel like to ask questions here?
Is curiosity encouraged—or mistaken for doubt or delay? - Where are we making decisions too quickly or with too much certainty?
What would it look like to pause and explore more perspectives? - What questions are we not asking?
What are the “undiscussables” in our team or culture? - How do we create psychological safety for people to wonder, challenge, and say “I don’t know”?
What actions from leaders make that easier? - What would it look like if curiosity was a daily leadership habit?
How would our conversations, decisions, and innovations change?
Forward Action
- What’s one curiosity habit I want to build this month?
(e.g., blocking time for wonder, asking one bold question a week, listening more than I speak) - What’s one question I want to bring to my next team meeting or 1:1?
How might that question invite fresh insight?
Curiosity keeps us open. But what we choose to open to—that’s where the next leadership challenge lies.
In the next chapter, we explore Connections: the human glue that binds teams, cultures, and purpose together. As the world becomes more automated, transactional, and distracted, the ability to truly connect—with empathy, presence, and trust—becomes a radical act of leadership.
Because in the age of AI, staying curious is how we stay open—
and staying connected is how we stay human.
