Curiosity is all the rage. How curious are you?

Curiosity is all the rage.

Everywhere I look, leaders, consultants, and gurus talk about the importance of curiosity. I agree. Curiosity is a common trait -- no, skill! -- among effective leaders.

The good news is curiosity is a skill that can be learned. The bad news is it's hard to be curious -- genuinely curious -- in practice.

Here are three good 'genuinely curious' questions everyone should add to their lexicon:

1. What are you seeing that I'm not seeing? Help me understand this from your point of view.

2. I'm asking/saying that because [ fill in the blank reason]. Understanding my point of view, how do you respond?

3. We got that wrong. [Or ... We didn't get it quite right.] What could we have done differently that would've led to a better outcome?

So what's the big deal? We've got three good starter questions that portray genuine curiosity. Why is it so hard to put into practice?

Inherent in these statements is an acknowledgment of imperfection and fallibility. It's scary to admit we are wrong or don't know something. It's scary because, however old you are, society has trained you for that many years to be right and to be smart.

I get it. That's why it's tough to be genuinely curious. And people don't feel good about being disingenuous in their curiosity. Instead, they choose not to be curious at all.

I suggest looking at it from a different perspective. Instead of being afraid to reveal that we don't know something, embrace it. I know things. Other people may know things I don't. If other people know things or have information that we don't, it's in our best interest to obtain it.

The best way to get information, insight, and knowledge is to be curious. Genuinely curious.

After all, differences are opportunities for learning.