Leading with the handbrake off: Why curiosity is a strategic operating system for uncertainty

Most leaders would say they value curiosity. It appears regularly in leadership frameworks and development programmes. But in practice it’s easy to treat curiosity as a something we’d like to develop if we had the time, rather than a core leadership capability.

In stable environments, this might not matter too much. When the world behaves predictably, leaders can rely on experience and a knowledge of what worked in the past. But today’s environment is anything but stable. Markets and technology both shift much more quickly than strategy can, and assumptions that feel solid can unravel quickly.

In this context, curiosity is more important than ever. Instead of a trait or a mindset slogan, it becomes a strategic operating system that determines how leaders and teams process uncertainty, stress, and change.

Curiosity is how you operate, not just who you are

We tend to describe curiosity as something you either have or don’t have. Some people are naturally inquisitive. Others are more action-oriented and less inclined to ask questions.

But neuroscience tells a different story. Rather than being a static personality trait, it’s actually a cognitive and emotional state that can be deliberately activated or suppressed.

When curiosity is present, the brain releases dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. This chemical combination primes the brain for learning and ensure information is more likely to be absorbed and retained.

In other words, curiosity prepares the brain to deal with the unknown. This is why curiosity matters so much in uncertain environments. Looking for certainty and control can narrow the field of vision, but curiosity allows leaders to navigate uncertainty without pretending it isn’t there.

The hidden handbrake most leaders have on

The challenge is that many leaders are operating under constant, low-grade stress. What feels like a “reasonable level of pressure” becomes the baseline. Physiologically, this matters.

Even if it’s not overwhelming panic, stress activates the amygdala, the brain’s threat detection system. When the amygdala is active, it inhibits the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking, creativity, perspective-taking, and curiosity). So when leaders feel stuck, reactive, or trapped in “more of the same” thinking, the reason is often biology.

In a fear state, the brain prioritises safety over exploration because familiar solutions feel safer than novel ones. Repeating what worked before feels preferable to experimenting with what might work next. This is what it means to lead with the handbrake on.

Learnable resilience: creating space for better questions

The implication is important: leaders don’t need to eliminate stress to think creatively, but they do need to recognise it and interrupt its impact. One of the simplest interventions is deliberately changing the question being asked. By pausing to ask “What am I missing?” or “What else could be going on?” or “What might we learn from this?”, the emotional brain quietens down and the rational brain re-engages.

We see this as a form of learnable resilience. The ability to notice when fear has narrowed thinking, and to deliberately reopen cognitive space. Over time, leaders who practise this create teams that are less reactive and more capable of adapting and finding a way through ambiguity.

The forces that kill curiosity

Even when leaders want to be curious, organisational life often works against it. Four forces in particular suppress inquiry.

1. 1. Fear

Fear is the most dominant barrier. We don’t mean fear showing up directly, instead, it appears as defensiveness, false certainty, ego, or the reflexive “yes, but…” Typically, we find that underneath this there is fear of looking incompetent, fear of not knowing, fear of challenging established beliefs. And of course, when fear is present, questions feel risky.

2. 2. Assumptions

Assumptions allow us to operate efficiently, but we should also be careful that they’re not blinding us. A useful illustration comes from biology. For decades, scientists assumed bacteria divided cleanly (one cell splitting neatly into two). It wasn’t until someone looked afresh that they saw cells elongating, rupturing, and producing multiple offspring simultaneously. The lesson for leaders is that when you enter a situation with a “standard model” in mind, that’s all you will see.

3. 3. Technology

Technology now provides answers instantly (truer than ever in the age of AI). But we all know that having an instant answer isn’t the same as understanding. Struggle matters, and effortful thinking builds strong neural connections. Relying too heavily on technology can bypass thinking, meaning fewer brain regions activate and learning becomes shallow.

This creates an obvious paradox. Used well, AI can extend thinking, but used poorly or too often, it becomes a cognitive crutch. Without deep understanding, we lose the ability to judge quality, spot errors, or apply insight creatively.

4. 4. Environment

Finally, culture matters. In environments where people are expected to “stay in their lane” or where questions are seen as disruptions, curiosity gets smothered. People stop wondering and start trying to display certainty all the time (whether they know the answers or not).

Curiosity as a leadership responsibility

To round up – curiosity isn’t about endless questioning or lack of direction. It is about staying cognitively open while remaining committed to the long-term strategy. Leaders who operate without curiosity create organisations that optimise for predictability. Conversely, leaders who operate with curiosity create organisations capable of learning and adapting as situations change.

So, the question for leaders shouldn’t be “Do I value curiosity?” It’s “What am I doing, every day, that either releases the handbrake or keeps it on?”

If you want teams who can think, adapt, and innovate under pressure, curiosity is the system that makes everything else possible. If you’d like to explore how to deliberately build this capability in yourself and across your organisation, get in touch.