Is Curiosity Missing from Your Workplace Culture?

In this episode, we explore the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways curiosity gets shut down in organizations—and the cultural cost of those missed questions. From assumptions that mask deeper issues to leadership habits that stifle innovation, Russel digs into how curiosity impacts employee retention, decision-making, and growth. You’ll hear real-world examples, warning signs to watch for, and practical ways leaders can model and build a curiosity-driven culture.

Because when curiosity isn’t baked into the culture… progress gets left behind.

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Transcript

Welcome back to Relationships At Work – Your guide to building workplace connections and avoiding leadership blind spots..  I’m your host Russel Lolacher

I’m a communications and leadership nerd with a couple of decades of experience and a heap of curiosity on how we can make the workplace better. If you’re a leader trying to understand and improve your impact on work culture and the employee experience, you’re in the right place.

This mini-episode is a quick and valuable bit of information to help your mindset for the week ahead. 

Inspired by our R@W Note Newsletter, I’m passing on to you… 

Bake Curiosity Into Your Leadership

 Is curiosity baked into your organization?
 Is it present in every decision, initiative, program, learning opportunity—even in how you interpret survey results?

A friend recently told me about an exodus of great people leaving her organization. When leadership was asked about it, their response?
 "It’s just the nature of our business. People come and go. It’s all part of growth and transformation."
Really? How do they know that? What makes them so sure?

The truth is… they probably don’t.
 They're making assumptions to justify deeper cultural issues they’re not ready—or willing—to face.

That’s where curiosity could’ve made all the difference.

Instead of brushing it off, what if they had asked:

• Who exactly is leaving?
• What impact did they have on the organization?
• Why are they leaving?
• What are they going to do next?
• Could we have done anything to retain them?
• What role did leadership play in their decision to leave?
• What feedback did they give while they were still here?

These aren’t difficult questions—they just require the courage to ask.

So how do you know when curiosity isn't prioritized in an organization?

• When a manager shuts down ideas with “That’s not how we do things here,” or “We don’t have time to entertain that.”
• When teams hold back creative solutions because past failures were punished rather than learned from.
• When someone suggests a new tool or method and it’s immediately dismissed with, “We’ve always done it this way,” or “It is what it is.”

When curiosity isn’t welcome, innovation slows, engagement drops, and people leave—not because of the job, but because of the culture.

But when curiosity is the default?
That’s when things change.
That’s when we see innovation, creative problem-solving, adaptability, better decisions, stronger collaboration, and real engagement.

Last week, we talked about encouraging curiosity from our teams—challenging us as leaders. This week, it's about flipping that: we need to model curiosity through our actions, not just our words.

Here’s how leaders can create a culture of curiosity:

• Ask questions, don’t just give answers. Challenge assumptions and invite discussion.
• Celebrate questions. Reward employees who bring insightful or difficult questions forward—even when answers aren’t obvious.
• Use “What if” and “How might we…” to frame conversations.
• Onboard with curiosity. Include sessions that invite new hires to ask “why” and challenge the status quo.
• Simplify access to knowledge. Remove barriers to tools, data, and resources that spark learning.
• Share success stories. Highlight moments where curiosity led to meaningful change.
• Make it measurable. Include curiosity in performance reviews—track how employees pursue learning or bring fresh thinking to the table.

As we’ve said on this podcast before, assumption kills progress—but curiosity fuels it. It leads to clarity, innovation, and better outcomes for everyone.

I remember once, years ago, when a project was being considered. It wasn’t a bad idea, it was just one that didn’t seem fully formed. So I asked a lot of questions only to discover that it was just a thought someone had taken too far where it was almost going to be implemented. There weren’t a lot of answers to the questions I had. Which is fine. It inspired more questions. The conversation actually put brakes on the whole thing to be reconsidered later, saving time and resources and helping with intent and strategy. 

So take a moment. Ask yourself:
 Where else can we build more curiosity into our work?
 Where have we defaulted to answers instead of questions?

Be curious—even about your own curiosity.

Einstein once said he had no special talent—just deep curiosity.

This week, try asking your team one curiosity-driven question. Then sit back and just listen.”

You might be surprised what you discover, and how it moves you, your team, and your culture forward.